


Dilemma

by stxrburstlouis



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crying, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Running Away, They all live in New York, baekhyun is secretive, baeksoo are engaged, chanyeol is a real estate agent, everyone is well off, jongdae is a real estate agent, we hate jongin like we just have to, we hate kyungsoo too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:55:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 40,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27294541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stxrburstlouis/pseuds/stxrburstlouis
Summary: “Okay so you also think it’s weird his family is in charge of the wedding?” Jongdae asks as he follows Chanyeol up the stairs to the third floor of his home. They step into the office, leaving the door open letting the air circulate.“Of course, I do. Baekhyun knows what his dream wedding is and he isn’t getting it.” He says sitting at one of his desks. Jongdae taking a seat on the couch, taking off his slippers.“Do you think his parents know about it?” Chanyeol is pulling out files that he needs, sighing when he sees what they have to go over.“Baekhyun probably wouldn’t tell them something like that. He thinks he can solve this all on his own.” The two go silent and just sit for a while before getting to work. They have many apartments to show for the next week and a half and they’re not as caught up as they used to be.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Do Kyungsoo | D.O, Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 19
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

The four of them randomly decided to get dinner. Chanyeol and Jongdae weren’t busy for once when Baekhyun stopped by hand in hand to check up on their friends. They waited for thirty minutes for them to finish up their work before locking up and heading to Chanyeol’s SUV. The drive to Koreatown wasn’t long even with all the New York traffic. Chanyeol manages to snag a spot in the middle of the street, not too far from the restaurant. Getting out walking into the restaurant, they get seated at a table in the middle of the place. It’s Jongdae’s turn to pay and he jokes that they each get one thing. Chanyeol approves his time reports so he knows how much he makes and tells him to stop being selfish. 

“Next week, we all have to go and get matching tuxes.” Baekhyun tells them, with a smile on his face as he skims through the drinks menu. 

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are engaged, soon to be married. The wedding isn’t until next summer but Baekhyun wants everything done and out of the way so he doesn’t have to stress about anything last minute. 

“Aren’t all tuxedos matching anyways?” Kyungsoo asks seriously, making the table laugh. They order their food and go off on their side convos. The couple talks about their wedding, while Chanyeol and Jongdae discuss the houses they were viewing in the upcoming week. 

“That block isn’t in his price range but he insists on it. Maybe you can talk some sense into him?” Jongdae says, turning to his friend. 

“Last time something didn’t go his way, his mom chewed my head off. We’ll just see if he likes the two apartments and if he does we’ll have to work something out but if not then there’s no reason to worry about it and we can just look in another neighborhood.” Chanyeol responds, pouring water for the table. 

Jongdae sighs, “I’m trusting you on this, Yeol. If this doesn’t work you owe me fifty bucks!” 

“I’ll put it in your paycheck, babe.” Jongdae sticks his tongue out like the child he is. 

“I just don’t see why we can’t have white and purple flowers, they look good together.” Baekhyun tells his fiance. 

Kyungsoo sighs loud enough for the other two to look over, paying attention to the couple now. 

“My mother hates purple and you know this.” He tells him pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I thought I was marrying you, not your mother!” Baekhyun crosses his arms, staring at a random spot on the table. Everything he suggested for his own wedding, nobody liked. Baekhyun thinks Kyungsoo’s family is just disagreeing with him because they can. He stopped trying to win his family over two years ago because he just knew they wouldn’t like him no matter but he loved Kyungsoo and that’s all that mattered to him. 

Their waiter comes to take their order but Baekhyun tunes them out, mind wandering to what his wedding will actually be like. It’ll be a week after his birthday and he couldn’t be happier about it. It won’t be too hot and it won’t be too cool either and he thinks it’s perfect. Baekhyun was the one to pick out the venue for the wedding and the reception and it was turning into his dream wedding slowly but surely. The main problem is that’s the only thing Baekhyun got to choose for his own wedding since Kyungsoo’s family took over at every meeting. He had no choice but to sit back and listen to them make all the wrong decisions for his own wedding. Whenever he did speak up Kyungsoo’s mother would just speak over him and his fiancé would let her. It didn’t sit right with him but he didn’t want to make a scene in front of strangers so he held back. He’s brought back to reality when someone's phone rings. Kyungsoo excuses himself and leaves the trio alone. 

“You know you should be in control over your own wedding.” Baekhyun looks over at Jongdae. 

“I am in control.” Jongdae shakes his head and the man looks over at Chanyeol to see a frown on his face. 

“I mean, Baekhyun it is your wedding not Kyungsoo’s family wedding.” Baekhyun shakes his head at his friends. 

“It’s fine. If I really hated what they choose you guys know I would speak up. They have decent taste, it's just not what I’d hoped for.” The pair stays quiet not wanting to really get into a conversation that they have constantly with themselves in their own time. 

“If his family really hated me, I’m sure they would pick Kyungsoo up in the middle of the night and whisk him away from me. They wouldn't have even let him propose if that was really the case.” Baekhyun looks up at his friends, finding Chanyeol’s eyes first. His eyes gave nothing away but he knows he wants to say something. His mouth does that weird twitching thing whenever he tries not to say something that needs to be said. He looks over at Jongdae who smiles at him when their eyes meet. 

Kyungsoo returns before he can tell his friends anything else. The table is silent and a few minutes later their food is being placed on the table. Chanyeol starts grilling the meat as soon as the waiter leaves, not wanting to waste anymore time. Kyungsoo’s phone rings again and everyone at the table looks over at him as he gets up to leave again. 

  
  


“Does he not have a secretary? I know a girl who is looking for a job.” Jongdae says out loud. Baekhyun shrugs his shoulders, he knew Kyungsoo cared a lot about his business, enough to the point where he only hired a few people to actually work with him. His phone rang all day long when he wasn’t at the office, Baekhyun got used to hearing his phone ring thinking nothing of it. 

“He wants to do everything himself and he doesn’t want help so I never say anything.” Jongdae side eyes Chanyeol, who is busy cutting up the meat on the grill. Kyungsoo comes back before Jongdae can make a statement. 

“Sorry about that guys, I’ll turn my phone off from now on. They just needed me for inventory confirmation.” 

Jongdae waves him off, “We know how it is, don’t apologize!” Kyungsoo sends him a small smile and leans into Baekhyun’s side, pulling his chair closer to his. Dinner flows smoothly without any interruptions. They reminisce about their college days, remembering when they all met for the first time. Chanyeol and Jongdae met during orientation and quickly became friends when they found out they lived on the same floor. Baekhyun had a class with Chanyeol and the taller man eventually got them all to hang out together at some point. Baekhyun was the one to meet Kyungsoo, running into the man one way too many times randomly. Kyungsoo went to NYU but had friends who went to Fordham. They would see each other when they went out to eat or were at the karaoke bar. They got along quite well but didn’t start dating until the middle of sophomore year when Baekhyun finally got the courage to confess. He doesn’t believe that was eight years ago. Time really flew by but Baekhyun is happy and that’s all he could ever ask for. 

“I can’t eat another bite.” Jongdae groans, dramatically shaking the piece of meat in between his chopsticks.

“You can do it, I believe in you!” Chanyeol says, turning to his friend, helping him move his hand toward his mouth. Baekhyun laughs at his friends, he was glad they were having dinner. He knew everyone was getting busy with the upcoming fall season. Baekhyun didn’t work because he didn’t need to. His parents wouldn’t allow it. Their family was set for life and his parents always told him it was pointless for him to have a job after he graduated. He did do jobs during his college years, saving his money because he didn’t want people to look at him differently for having money. The only ones who know about his family being well off are the people sitting at the dinner table and that’s the way it’s always been. 

They finish eating, waiting for the bill to be brought over, stacking the empty dishes. 

“Are you coming over so we can plan this all out?” Chanyeol asks Jongdae. 

“Is my room ready?”

“Just the way you left it!” 

Jongdae pays for dinner and they all head out back to Chanyeol’s car. The drive to the couple’s house is filled with Jongdae singing every song that’s on the radio but none of them mind. Baekhyun closes his eyes, head leaning against the window, humming along to whatever Jongdae is singing. He knows every turn the man has to make to get to their house and he opens his eyes as his friend turns onto their street. Kyungsoo doesn’t hesitate to get out as soon as the car stops, muttering a quick goodbye. 

“I know you guys will be busy but please keep in touch and good luck on showing those houses, make me some nice money!” He exits the car with a laugh, walking up to their house. Kyungsoo is just unlocking the door as he walks up the stairs. 

“I’m going to do a little work and then we can have our movie night.” He tells his fiancé as they stand at the front door, taking off their shoes. 

“Okay, I’ll be in the living room.” He turns to kiss him on the cheek but Kyungsoo is already walking away. He pouts and walks to their bedroom to change his clothes. He walks to their closet, tripping over a suitcase that Kyungsoo still hasn’t put away since his last business trip. He turns on their closet light, moving the suitcase out the way to get to his clothes. He grabs some sweatpants and a t-shirt to change into. He changes, making his way into the bathroom to wash his face before making his way back to the living room. 

He sits on the couch grabbing the remote to turn on the tv. He trunks to the drama channel watching the reruns until Kyungsoo gets finished with work. 

======

“Okay so you also think it’s weird his family is in charge of the wedding?” Jongdae asks as he follows Chanyeol up the stairs to the third floor of his home. They step into the office, leaving the door open letting the air circulate. 

“Of course, I do. Baekhyun knows what his dream wedding is and he isn’t getting it.” He says sitting at one of his desks. Jongdae taking a seat on the couch, taking off his slippers. 

“Do you think his parents know about it?” Chanyeol is pulling out files that he needs, sighing when he sees what they have to go over. 

“Baekhyun probably wouldn’t tell them something like that. He thinks he can solve this all on his own.” The two go silent and just sit for a while before getting to work. They have many apartments to show for the next week and a half and they’re not as caught up as they used to be.

They’re looking through a client’s profile when Jongdae speaks up again. 

“Seriously how did your mom find this place? A four story home? And why do you need five bathrooms?” Chanyeol laughs, setting the file down on the desk. 

“She knows some people I guess. She just told me to pack and be ready to move by the end of the week. I never question her, she knows what’s best.” He tells his friend. 

“She makes me want to invest my money in someone just to see if I can end up like her.”

Chanyeol's mom is certainly a woman who knows what she’s doing. When her first husband died in a plane crash, she never spent any of the money he left behind, only investing it in random companies. Chanyeol has heard the story one too many times, he knows all the details. When she married his father and had him she was already well off and her wealth only increased as she was married to one of the top surgeons in the city. He knows to not question his mother and just do as she says because she would never steer him in the wrong direction, he’s had to learn that the hard way one too many times in his life. 

“If I get you a key made will you get back to work?” He questions, going back to the file.

“I don’t need a key, I’m only coming over when we have work that piles up. And after this, that won’t be till the spring.” Jongdae says, like he has it all planned out. 

Chanyeol did give him the spare room that’s on the first floor but Jongdae never sleeps over he just calls it his room so no one else can claim it. They have no other friends. Chanyeol doesn’t know who would steal it from him. He shakes his head as they turn silent again, shuffling through papers trying to find the best apartments to show off that will make them close a deal. 

His mind travels back to Baekhyun because she can’t help but be worried for his friend. They’ve known each other for too long for him not to know that Baekhyun has been putting up a front. He knows the man’s parents would be down here in a heartbeat if they found out how his fiancé’s parents were treating him. He sighs, flipping the page only to flip it back because he doesn’t know what he just read. 

=====

It’s been three hours and Kyungsoo is nowhere to be found. It’s almost midnight and Baekhyun is tired. He turns off the tv making his way to their bedroom just as his fiancée steps out of his office. 

“Baby, I’m so sorry. It took longer than I expected, I promise I’ll make it up to you.” Kyungsoo says.

“It’s okay, Soo. Come to bed when you’re actually finished.” He yawns and walks into their room. He doesn’t bother turning on the light as he already knows the room like the back of his hand. He slips into bed a sigh falling from his lips as his head hits the pillow. He hears the man come into the room twenty minutes later. 

“Inventory all good?” He asks, turning around in bed to watch Kyungsoo. 

“Yeah, some of our shipments got lost so we had to track them down.” Baekhyun hums, holding in another yawn. 

Kyungsoo slips into bed next to him, automatically moving closer, arms wrapping around his waist, as he lays his head in the crook of his neck. 

“I love you, Baekhyun.”

“I love you too.” Baekhyun doesn’t think he could be any happier than in this moment right here. He falls asleep with a smile on his face. He doesn’t realize Kyungsoo is still awake, blankly staring at the wall beyond his head. 

  
  
  


Baekhyun wakes up to the quiet like he usually does. He rolls over his body hitting more bed. He stretches and sits up, silence surrounding him. Kyungsoo must be in the office or the kitchen like he usually is. He gets up walking out of the room walking towards his office, to see the door wide open. He peeks his head in seeing it empty. Desk wiped clean like he was never there. Baekhyun stands there confused, closing the door heading to the kitchen.

  
  


“Soo? Baby, are you here?” He steps into the kitchen finding it empty as well. 

He gets no response and he makes his way back to the room to find something to wear for the day. He doesn’t trip over the suitcase and he looks down in the closet to find it gone, along with all the clothes from Kyungsoo’s side of the closet. Baekhyun breathes shakily because he knows this isn’t happening to him. He turns around, walking to Kyungsoo’s side of the bed. His ring is on the nightstand along with his phone. 

Baekhyun sinks to the floor, ring in his hand and he tries to keep it together. There’s no way Kyungsoo would leave him in the middle of the night with no explanation. He shakes his head, putting the ring where his gold band lays on his own finger, walking out of the room to get to the guest bedroom. He knows the safe is in there and if it’s empty this is really happening. His footsteps echo throughout the house as he makes his way across it. He rips the bedroom door open, heading towards the closet, stopping in his tracks. The safe is open and empty, staring back at him. He grabs it and throws it against the wall, creating a dent. 

He’s angry, confused and hurt. He leaves the room, tears running down his cheeks, slowly walking back to their room. His sobs get louder as he approaches the room. Baekhyun gets back into bed, hoping that this is a nightmare and Kyungsoo is going to walk through that door in the evening to have dinner with his fiancee like he always does. 

======

“Let’s never have that many showings back to back ever again.” Jongdae sighs dramatically as he enters Chanyeol’s office. 

They just got back from their last viewing of the week and of course they closed a deal. They would normally celebrate as closing five apartments in a week is something to celebrate but they are both too tired to do so. 

“I’ll give you your cut sometime next week and it might change your mind about that.” Chanyeol tells him as he cleans off his desk. He wants to come in on Monday to a spotless desk and admire it before it’s filled with paperwork again. He shreds any unnecessary papers they don’t need anymore and puts all the important ones back in the filing cabinet back where they belong. He’s reorganizing his cabinets when Jongdae sticks his head in his office again. 

“Is it okay if I head out early? My cousin’s baby shower is starting soon.”

Chanyeol laughs, “You don’t have to ask! Go ahead and have fun, I’ll see you on Monday.” 

Chanyeol may be his boss but he doesn’t care what time he leaves as long he’s here when he needs to be. Jongdae has been on board with him since he first told him about opening his own realtor business so it was only natural that they went through everything together and Jongdae didn’t mind working under him because “He’s too lazy to be in charge of something that could become bigger over night.” Chanyeol shakes his head at all the memories he’s had with one of his best friends. 

He steps out of his office into the middle of the building watching as the man put on his jacket. 

“Uh, before you go have you heard from Baekhyun?” He questions. 

“Now that you mentioned I haven’t talked to him since our dinner a week ago. Text him for the both of us and I’ll see you on Monday!” Jongdae is out the door before he can even reply. 

He’s known Baekhyun for a long time and it’s not like him to even go a day without texting them something random or about a new restaurant he found that’s too far away for them to get too. He sighs and grabs his coat and keys, turning off all the lights before walking out the front door, locking the place for the weekend. He walks to his car after double checking the lock, throwing everything in the passenger seat. He’s only been to the couple’s house twice but he saved the address on his gps, just in case. He sets the address in and sets off to go visit his friend just to see what he’s been up to. 

Chanyeol cruises through the streets and it hits him just how far they kind of live now that he’s pulling up to their driveway. He sees Kyungsoo’s car so he knows they must be home. He gets out, locking the doors and walking past the car. He walks past the windows and sees the lights on. That’s his first clue that something is wrong because he knows Baekhyun doesn’t like the lights being on. He rings the doorbell, hearing nothing. He knocks loudly and gets nothing in response. He knows they have a fake rock so he looks for it in one of their bushes. Chanyeol finds it in the third one, cracking it open to get the key out. 

He unlocks the door and his observation was right all the lights are still on. Baekhyun has a weird thing about lights. He likes them off because they help him fall asleep faster. He remembers in college how many times the man complained because his roommate would always leave his desk lamp on and he would never be able to sleep well. 

“Baekhyun, are you here?” He walks past the living room, seeing it empty. 

He pokes his head in the kitchen and sees it spotless. 

“Kyungsoo?” He sighs and walks to the guest bedroom. He opens the door and sees the safe on the ground and the hole in the wall. He closes the door and walks to their bedroom. He sees it’s cracked open and pushes it open with his foot. Chanyeol was not expecting to see Baekhyun, sitting in the middle of their bed crying. 

Baekhyun knows it's Chanyeol without even having to look up. He knows his Prada cologne anywhere because he hasn’t stopped wearing it since he bought it for him for his birthday one year. 

“Where’s Kyungsoo? Why are you crying?” He leans up against the door frame, crossing his arms. 

Baekhyun lifts his head up to look at his friend and Chanyeol knows he hasn’t slept by how red his eyes are. 

“He’s gone.” His voice is hoarse from crying for a week straight and Chanyeol is confused. 

“What do you mean? His car is outside.” 

“He’s gone.” Baekhyun tells him as he looks him in the eye. Chanyeol is still confused and it probably shows on his face.

“He fucking left me in the middle of the fucking night like I was nothing.” Baekhyun cries harder and Chanyeol makes his way to the bed, sitting on the side of it. 

“Is that why all the lights are on?” Baekhyun nods his head. 

Chanyeol sighs and watches as Baekhyun plays with his ring on his finger, only to notice he’s wearing Kyungsoo’s too. He wants to curse but he holds it in. He looks around the room for some kind of note or something but he finds nothing. He only sees Kyungsoo’s phone on the nightstand. 

“That fucking idiot.” Chanyeol mutters. He stands up to pace the room and Baekhyun stares at the same spot he’s been looking at for a week, tears still running down his face. 

Chanyeol puts his hands on the bed, leaning on it so he’s eye level with his friend. 

“Here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to pack your stuff and you’re going to shower because you reek and you’re leaving this house, okay?” Baekhyun stares at him and Chanyeol stares back. 

“Where am I going?” Baekhyun whispers. 

“You’ll stay with me, it’ll be like college all over again.” 

Baekhyun scoffs, “We never lived together in college.” 

“There’s a first time for everything, now go shower.” 

The man doesn’t move and it worries Chanyeol. He holds his hand out for him to take. He knows staying in this house will only tear down his friend day by day and he won’t have that while he’s still around. Baekhyun takes his hand and he slowly inches off the bed, walking with Chanyeol to the bathroom. 

“I’ll find you something to wear and pack everything so take all the time you need.” The taller man says to him. Baekhyun stands in the middle of the bathroom as his friend starts the shower for him. Chanyeol turns around, looking at the man in front of him. He turns the water back off and opens his arms. 

“Come here.” He walks towards him, meeting him halfway as he hugs Baekhyun. It only takes a second for Baekhyun to start crying against his chest. One hand rubbing his back the other cradling his head. 

He eventually gets Baekhyun in the shower, he can still hear him crying from the closet and it hurts his heart. Chanyeol packs all of his clothes, getting all the suitcases from the guest bedroom. He curses Kyungsoo’s side of the closet under his breath for putting his best friend through something like this. He wants to track him down and beat the shit out of him but he knows Baekhyun wouldn’t want that. He closes both suitcases but not before throwing some jeans and a hoodie on the bed for Baekhyun to wear. 

He goes to their dresser next through in all socks and underwear into the third suitcase, leaving a pair of each on the bed. The last three drawers are empty and Chanyeol kicks every one of them close again. He rolls all the suitcases out the room and to the front of the house so he can put them in his car. Chanyeol grabs a few pairs of shoes that he knows are Baekhyun’s from the shoe rack and heads outside. He hurries because he doesn’t want Baekhyun to get out before he returns. 

When he reaches the room again, Baekhyun is already out, sitting on the bed with his robe, staring at the floor. Chanyeol moves to kneel in front of him.

“Can you get dressed and meet me by the door when you’re done?” Baekhyun nods.

“Is there anything else you want to take before we leave?” Baekhyun shrugs his shoulders. 

Chanyeol sighs, “Whatever you want, just grab it okay? I won’t judge.” Baekhyun stays silent but he sees the tears start to well up in his eyes again. Chanyeol gets up with a groan, patting his knee, before exiting the room. 

He stands by the front door, texting Jongdae a quick message that he went to see Baekhyun and he’ll explain everything in person on Monday. He pockets his phone and hears glass breaking in the living room. He turns to find Baekhyun throwing all their picture frames on the ground, shoebox under his arm. 

“Baekhyun don’t do that.” He tells him softly. 

Baekhyun stares at him, eyes still red and drops another one. He drops a vase, a clock and more and Chanyeol lets him. 

He’s seen Baekhyun get angry a few times and it’s never been pretty. He watches as he grabs another photo frame but this time he’s walking towards him instead. Chanyeol assumes he’s done and opens the front door. He lets the man walk out first unlocking the car so he can just get in. He locks the front door and puts the key in his pocket. He jogs over to his car, hopping in and driving off without another word. 

  
  


Baekhyun thinks he should be all cried out by now but he’s crying again as they get further away from the house he’s lived in for the past four years. He watches the scenery change as they get closer to back into the city. His grip tightens on the frame and shoebox just thinking about the past week. He notices they aren’t going the usual way to Chanyeol’s apartment but says nothing. 

“I moved.” He says as if he was reading his mind.

“My mom bought the house for me so if it’s not up to your taste, blame her.” He glances at him but he’s still staring out the window. Chanyeol nods to himself and can only be thankful that he’s stopped crying. 

He parks in front of his house turning off the car. He reaches into the backseat grabbing his coat digging in his coat pocket for his keys. He takes them out, handing them to Baekhyun. 

“Here, mine is the black door, go inside and sit while I bring your stuff in and you can pick where you want to stay.” Baekhyun finally turns his head from looking out the window, staring at the keys. He takes them unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out. Chanyeol lets out another sigh when the door closes. He watches the man walk up the stairs, entering the house before he actually gets out. 

He walks to the trunk opening it, grabbing two suitcases to set them on the ground. He rolls them on either side of him, thanking whoever above that he only has six steps. Baekhyun didn’t close the door so he pushed it open with the suitcase letting them roll into the front hall. Chanyeol makes his way back outside to grab the last suitcase and last bag. He closes the trunk locking his car, walking back up the stairs. He wishes he had an elevator because if Baekhyun wants to sleep upstairs he’s going to have to haul this all upstairs. 

He shuts the front door, locking it, stepping further into the house, finding Baekhyun to his right, in the living room. He stands in the middle of the room, facing him. 

He scratches his head, “There’s a bedroom just up the stairs on this floor and I have another room on the fourth floor next to mine. So take your pick and I’ll put all your stuff there.” 

They both go silent and he realizes Baekhyun isn’t going to talk any time soon. 

“You want a tour instead?” He gets nothing. 

“Are you hungry?” Chanyeol nods to himself when he doesn’t get an answer, he just watches as Baekhyun stares at the floor. 

“Whatever you decide is fine with me. I’ll leave you alone but dinner is in two hours and I’ll be in my office on the third floor if you need me.” He walks backwards leaving the living room taking the hallway to get to the stairs. His phone rings as he’s walking up the stairs. 

“Hi mom!” He says answering the phone. 

“Did you close on all your showings?” She asks. He turns right at the third floor, making his way into his office. He flicks the light on and sits at his desk. 

“I did thanks for finally checking up on me.” 

  
  
  


Downstairs in the living room Baekhyun hasn’t moved an inch. He’s thinking about too much and nothing at all at the same time. He sets the shoebox and picture frame down on the couch next to him, standing up, deciding to tour on his own. He goes the same way Chanyeol went, going up the stairs but turning to the left. He finds the laundry room, a bathroom and one of the bedrooms. He figures this one must be the one Jongdae claimed since there’s clothes hanging in the closet. He walks back going up the next set of stairs. Chanyeol is still on the phone with his mom and he walks past the office and a mini bar into an even bigger living room. There’s four windows facing the street and it looks pretty. The leaves are slowly changing colors and it somehow reminds him of home. His hometown is much quieter but definitely surrounded by more trees than necessary. 

He goes to the fourth floor seeing Chanyeol’s closet on his left. The walk in is full of suits in all different colors but Baekhyun is sure he’s only seen him in black and grey. The other side is casual clothes and jeans, sweatpants sitting on the shelf. Baekhyun continues exploring, finding Chanyeol’s room and the other extra bedroom. He doesn’t go into Chanyeol's room since the door is closed. He walks in the bedroom and it unfortunately reminds him of his old room. For once he doesn’t cry he just walks out, going back downstairs to get his stuff. Sleeping in that room is not going to do him any good but he doesn’t care. He doesn’t hear Chanyeol on the phone anymore as he passes the third floor but he doesn’t pause to go see him. 

It takes Baekhyun a good twenty minutes to bring all his stuff up to the fourth floor and he wonders why there isn’t an elevator in this place. He opens all his suitcases ready to put everything away when there’s a knock on the door. He turns his head to see Chanyeol standing at the door, shoebox and picture frame in hand. 

“You chose this one? Is it because Jongdae claimed the downstairs one?” Baekhyun nods and stands up walking towards his friend. He holds out his hands for his things that he left on the couch downstairs. 

“Oh right! Here you go and you still have another bag left but you can bring it up after dinner.” Baekhyun takes his box from him and turns around to finish unpacking. He never realized how much clothes he had until now. He doesn’t know how Chanyeol kept the hangers on everything and managed to pack so much in his suitcases. The closet is in the hallway but he didn’t want to crowd it so he walks back and forth from his room to the closet to hang everything. He’s like up his shoes at the bottom of the closet when Chanyeol calls for him. 

“Baekhyun dinner is ready!” He’s surprised he can hear him this well all the way upstairs. He makes it to the first floor and realizes there’s no kitchen here so he goes down another flight of stairs, hand trailing along the wall carefully as he walks into the kitchen. 

“I am not the best chef but I do know chicken alfredo is your favorite!” Chanyeol turns around two plates in his hand to find his friend in the middle of his kitchen crying. 

He sets the plates down on the counter and takes his friend into his arms. 

“It’s okay, Baekhyun. I can cook something else, if you don’t want it.” He feels him shake his head against his chest. 

Chanyeol grabs his face with his face, “You’re gonna be okay, Baekhyun.” He lets him go to grab the plates carrying them to the kitchen table. 

Dinner is silent but Chanyeol doesn’t mind because he’s used to eating alone if he’s not eating with Jongdae. He hears Baekhyun sniffle a couple of times and he feels sad for him. He wants to talk about it but he doesn’t want to push Baekhyun or make him cry anymore. He looks up to see the man just twirling the pasta around his fork. He clears his throat and Baekhyun looks up at him, fork in the middle of his plate. 

“You should probably eat that before it gets cold.” Baekhyun silently picks up the fork, bringing it to his mouth. 

“You don’t have to eat if you don’t want to, you can always save it for tomorrow or another day.” Chanyeol plate is already clear so he wipes his mouth, pushing his chair back. He gets up to wash everything he used so he doesn’t have to do it in the morning. 

It’s five minutes later when Baekhyun is quietly slipping his plate into the sink and walking back upstairs without another word. He smiles as he watches him to turn the corner heading back up the stairs. 

======

It’s Monday and Chanyeol is dressed and ready for work. He’s about to leave when he realizes there’s another person in his house. He makes a quick note to Baekhyun, walking upstairs to stick it to his forehead before leaving the house. Jongdae is there before him, the office is already opened but the lights are still off in the front. 

“Jongdae, you always forget about the switch in the front!” He hears footsteps so he knows he was in the back somewhere. 

“Every time I open this happens to me. Just start leaving a note on the door for me or else they will never be on.” 

Chanyeol shakes his head, “Hey, want to leave early today?” Jongdae practically squeals, jumping into his arms, kissing his face. 

“Oh my god! I love you, please marry me! My body is aching from this weekend, I need to slow down.” 

“I told you to stop going out so much and get off me, you’re ruining my suit.” He’s back on his feet following Chanyeol into his office, taking a seat on the couch like he always does. 

“So, why are we closing early? Oh and what did you need to tell me about Baekhyun?” 

“That’s the reason why we’re closing early,” Chanyeol replies, sighing. 

  
  


Chanyeol tells his friend about everything that happened over the weekend. Kyungsoo leaves in the middle of the night, Baekhyun crying non stop and about him not talking at all. Jongdae has his mouth open the entire time he listens to the story. He’s probably just as confused as Chanyeol and Baekhyun because nobody could’ve seen this coming. It takes a moment for Jongdae to process everything that he has been told. 

“So...Baekhyun has been alone for a whole week wondering where this bastard left to?” Chanyeol nods his head. 

“When we see him please let me beat him up for five minutes and then you can have a turn.” 

“Oh no, I’m going first since I found him!” 

Jongdae leans back into the couch, crossing his arms sighing loudly. “He’s staying with you until further notice?” 

“Yeah, I mean I doubt he wants to go home to his parents when this is all fresh.” Jongdae hums in agreement. He knows Baekhyun, he will want to figure everything out before he even steps foot back in his home state. 

“Well, we can talk about it more when we get home but for now let's get some work done so time can go by faster.” He skips out of his office to the front desk and leaves Chnayeol alone to deal with client files. 

  
  
  


Baekhyun wakes up somewhere around ten thirty and he notices all he can see is white. He squints, rubbing his face when he feels the paper attached to his face. He scoffs at Chanyeol’s childish antics and sits up to read the note. 

_hi baekhyun,_

_I went to work but you probably guessed that already, but please make yourself at home. I gave you a key in case you wanted to leave the house, it’s nice out so please go for a nice walk. I will be home early today so you won’t be by yourself for too long!_

_see ya later :D_

He sees the key attached to the paper, ripping it off carefully, folding the note up and setting it down on the nightstand. He doesn’t bother looking for his phone, he knows it’s still dead in the shoebox where it put it when he first got here. He takes his time getting out of bed, heading to the bathroom to get ready for the day. He doesn’t doesn't bother changing out of his clothes because he knows he’s not stepping foot outside no matter how nice it is outside. 

He walks downstairs after brushing his teeth making his way into the living room. The couch on his left looks so pristine to sit on and it’s white so he chooses the blue on across from it. Grabbing the remote on the table, turning on the tv. His stomach grumbles as he flicks through the channels but he decides to ignore it for now. He doesn’t find anything decent to watch so he turns the tv back off and sits in silence. He knows from his tour that Chanyeol doesn’t have much food so he doesn’t know what to eat. He figures he can have his groceries delivered since he really doesn’t want to get dressed. He makes his way out of the living room heading to the office. The door is already open and he finds it spotless like Chanyeol never comes in here. He sits at the desk shaking the mouse to turn on the computer. He types in the man’s birthday to see if it will work and it opens up to the desktop. He chuckles at the simple password and orders all the groceries he needs and wants just because he feels like it. 

  
  
  


It’s around one thirty when he hears the front door close over his music. He eventually charged his phone because all his good playlists were on there. He hears Jongdae laugh loudly at something Chanyeol said as they walk down the stairs. He turns around just as they enter the kitchen. 

“Hi Baekhyun!” Jongdae says smiling. Baekhyun waves back, turning back around to finish cooking. 

“Still not talking?” Chanyeol asks and he pretends he can’t hear him. 

He only cooked pasta and tacos because he couldn’t decide which one to have so he thought he could just have both. 

“We came home at the right time, huh?” Jongdae nudges Chanyeol’s side, as they both sit at the kitchen table. The taller man eyes the shoebox that’s on the table. It’s the same one Baekhyun walked out of the house with. Jongdae must have the same thought because he’s opening it before Chanyeol can stop him. 

“Holy Shit! Baekhyun is this yours?” The man in question whips around and sees the shoebox open, green staring back at him. He sighs and nods his head. Chanyeol looks back and forth between his friend and the shoebox because how long has he had all this money. He watches as he takes his phone off the counter texting away. Chanyeol feels his phone vibrate in his pocket.

“Where did all this come from? How long have you been saving it?” Chanyeol’s phone dings again and this time he pulls it out reading the text from his friend. 

“SINCE COLLEGE?!?” They both stare at their friend, waiting for him to actually talk but he says nothing. Chanyeol doesn’t know how much is in there but he knows it’s a lot by the way it’s rolled up, filling the shoebox. Chanyeol grabs the shoebox, making his way over to Baekhyun, grabbing his wrist. 

“Come on, we’re going on a trip.” He walks past the sink, pushing open the double doors that leads to the other part of the house which is just the wine cellar and more storage. The trio walks past the wine cellar walking deeper into the so-called basement until they’re met with a brick wall. 

“Jongdae, if you ever tell anyone about this, I swear to god, nobody will ever be able to find your body.” 

“Who am I telling, dude? All my friends are standing right here.” He hands Baekhyun the shoebox as he starts to remove the bricks until they’re looking at a vault. Baekhyun looks at Jongdae who’s already staring at him, eyes wide. 

“You’ve been keeping this a secret all this time, and now it's still a secret.” He stares at Chanyeol before gently placing the box in the vault. Chanyeol locks it without another word, placing the same bricks back in place. It doesn’t look unnatural, it just looks like an ordinary brick wall and the two are impressed. 

Chanyeol claps his hands, “Let’s go eat!” He heads out first, and they follow him back into the kitchen. 

  
  


Jongdae leaves right after they eat lunch because he has to let his dog out before he pees all over his apartment. Chanyeol goes to shower while Baekhyun cleans up the kitchen, putting away the food they didn’t eat. It’s only three thirty but Baekhyun retires to his room because he just wants to lay down and get comfortable. Just as he’s getting under the covers, Chanyeol is walking into his room, hopping in bed next to him, laying on top of the covers. 

“Okay so I’m not going to make you talk but I kinda am. Are you going to tell your parents what happened?” He asks, propping his head on his hand, looking at Baekhyun. 

The man stares back at him, “No.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because.” Chanyeol sighs, this obviously isn’t going anywhere so he drops it. 

“Did you leave the house today because you sure did buy a lot of groceries.” 

“I ordered them online.” 

“Right, forgot that was a thing.” Chanyeol moves to sit up, getting off the bed. 

“I will be in my office if you need me.” Baekhyun says nothing but watches him walk out of the room. He has nothing to do so he figures he’ll take a nap instead. He turns both rings on his finger until he falls asleep, tears silently running down his face. 

  
  
  


Chanyeol works through the rest of the day, scheduling appointments here and there, cleaning his office and rearranging some things. It’s almost nine and he decides to head to bed early since he will be at the office all day tomorrow. He walks upstairs finding it all pitch black so he assumes Baekhyun is sleeping at this point. He walks into his room, turning on the light, walking to his closet to change into some shorts. 

He plugs up his phone, making sure his alarm is on, turning off the light. He doesn’t like to sleep on the left side of his bed, so he pulls back the comforter on the right side, getting under it. It never takes him long to fall asleep and he thinks cleaning his office tired him out even more than usual. 

Sometime during the night he feels hotter than usual and his arm feels heavy. He opens an eye to see Baekhyun right underneath his chin. Chanyeol hated when Baekhyun would sleep over in college because he was a literal heater. He’s too clingy in his sleep and Chanyeol would always sweat. Those nights usually resulted with Baekhyun being pushed on the floor and Chanyeol would throw a pillow and blanket down because he wasn’t that cruel of a person. This time he doesn’t exactly think it would be appropriate to push him off the bed. He removes his arm from underneath his head, and pushes him to the other side of the bed. He lays on his stomach and goes back to sleep before he loses his sleepiness. 

It feels like he just closed his eyes when his alarm is going off. He just lays there and lets it ring for a second before shutting it off. He stretches and looks over to find Baekhyun still sleeping. He sits up and stares at the wall for a minute before actually getting up. He zones out the entire he’s getting ready for work, occasionally looking back at the man sleeping in his bed. He doesn’t bother writing a note this time because Baekhyun knows where he’s going to be at. He grabs his trench coat and keys, making note to stop at the store before he heads into the office because he needs more water for his fridge. 

It takes him too long to get where he needs to be thanks to one of his usual routes having a detour due to construction. By the time he parks his car and walks into the office, his day is already ruined.

“Jongdae, how many times do I have to tell you to turn on the lights in the front?!?” 

====

Baekhyun doesn’t know why he slept in Chanyeol’s bed. He’s sitting downstairs in the living room reading a book he found on the bookshelf. He’s been reading the same sentence over and over again for the past thirty minutes. He was glad Chanyeol didn’t push him on the floor like he usually would’ve done. Baekhyun is aware of his sleeping habits. Kyungsoo was the only one who was actually used to sleeping with him so he never tried to fix his sleeping habits throughout the years. He turns the page mindlessly when he hears the front door open. He looks at his phone to see it’s only two in the afternoon and he knows Chanyeol doesn’t get off until five. He hears heels, clicking against the floor and that makes him stand up. Does Chanyeol have a girlfriend he never told them about? He peaks around the corner of the doorframe just as Chanyeol’s mom walks past. 

“Oh my! Baekhyun sweetie, you almost gave me a heart attack!” 

“I’m sorry, that wasn’t my intention.” His voice is quiet. 

“Are you getting sick? Come on I’ll make you some tea.” She grabs his wrist, pulling him down the hall towards the kitchen. Baekhyun can’t stop the tears from welling up in his eyes because he knows what she’s about to ask. 

“I haven’t seen you in forever! How’s Kyungsoo? I’m so excited for the wedding. I have so many gifts for you guys, I need it to be next year already.” She laughs heartily. 

Baekhyun lets his wrist fall out of her hand, stopping at the top of the stairs. Mrs. Park turns around halfway down the stairs when she notices he isn’t following her anymore. 

“What’s wrong? Did I say something?” 

He wipes his tears with the sleeve of his hoodie, continuing down the stairs. “Kyungsoo left me so you can return those gifts.” He walks past her moving towards the kitchen, sitting at the table. 

Mrs. Park joins him after standing on the stairs in shock. 

“Oh Baekhyun, I’m so sorry. Let me get the wine!” Baekhyun laughs through the tears because Chanyeol’s mom is still the same. 

Somehow she gets him to tell him everything and he means everything from the first time they met up until he left him in the middle of the night. He tells her more than he told Chanyeol. Baekhyun cries through the whole story so he’s not sure if it made sense or not but Mrs. Park nods her head either way to show she’s listening. They finish the bottle of wine but only because Baekhyun drank most of it.

“So he really got up and left in the middle of the night?” Baekhyun sniffs and nods his head. 

“I’m so sorry, you deserve better honey.” She pats the back of his head. This is the most Baekhyun has talked all week and the wine is making him sleepy. 

“What was in the safe if you don’t mind me asking.”

Baekhyun shakes his head and tells her it’s fine. “It was extra money we both set aside for the wedding.” Mrs. Park is silent and so is Baekhyun because he knows she’s thinking what he thought when he first saw the empty safe. There’s just no way someone would do something like that. 

“I’m glad Chanyeol let you stay with him, I wouldn’t want you to be all alone in that place, it’s no good for the mind. Speaking of my son, he should be here in an hour so how about I cook dinner like I do every Tuesday and you take a nap and I’ll wake you when everything is ready?” 

“That sounds nice, thanks again for letting me get everything off my chest.” Mrs. Park waves him off. 

“Anything for my son’s best friend.” She watches him walk back upstairs, finishing off her glass of wine with a sigh. 

“Men.” 

  
  


Chanyeol walks in the house and smells food. He sets everything down on the bench in the hallway and looks at his phone. It sure is Tuesday. He forgot his mom comes over and makes dinner for him to make sure he’s still alive even though he can cook for himself. He walks downstairs, seeing his mom at the stove and the empty wine bottle on the kitchen table.

“Mom, it's so lovely to see you here! Where’s Baekhyun?” He says, walking over to kiss her cheek. 

“I put him down for a nap almost two hours ago, poor thing looked like he hadn’t slept in ages.” 

Chanyeol raises a brow at her choice of words. “You put him down for a nap? You know he’s almost thirty right? Did he tell you about the incident?” 

Mrs. Park rolls her eyes, turning off the stove, “Chanyeol, you slept in my room until you were twelve, I don’t want to hear it and yes he told me everything about what happened. I’m not returning the gifts, you know how I feel about returning things.” 

His mom never returned everything she bought. If she didn’t like it after she bought it, it ended up in a closet, Chanyeol called it the “return closet”. She eventually just donated it or threw everything out when they moved. Chanyeol crosses his arms at the mention of Baekhyun telling her everything that happened. He couldn’t even get him to say two sentences. 

“How did you get him to talk?” 

“He hasn’t been talking? He talked to me as soon as he saw him. His voice was so quiet I thought he was sick.” 

“What did he tell you?” 

Mrs. Park scoffs and laughs, “If he wanted to tell you _everything_ that happened he would’ve told you, don’t you think?” She’s grabbing plates from the cabinets, setting the table ignoring Chanyeol who’s pouting. 

“Make yourself useful and go wake him up, he’s somewhere in this house.” 

Chanyeol has an idea of where he might be but he doesn’t say anything because knowing his mother she would definitely get the wrong idea. Both bedroom doors are closed when he makes it to the fourth floor. He doesn’t think twice before walking into his room. The extra room is as clean as Chanyeol first had it. There’s a lump in the middle of the bed and he walks towards the side of the bed. He pokes the man in his side, like he used to do when they were in college. Baekhyun groans, rolling onto his stomach and Chanyeol doesn’t think that’s a good idea after knowing he probably drank a half bottle of wine. 

“Hey, wake up before my mom yells at us.” He pulls the covers back and pulls at his arm. 

“She will really yell at us even at this age, please wake up!” Baekhyun turns his head, one eye open, staring at Chanyeol. 

“She won’t yell at me, I’m her favorite.” Chanyeol kneels at the side of the bed so he’s eye to eye level with him. 

“You won’t be if you stay in this bed for three more seconds.” Chanyeol starts counting down out loud and Baekhyun looks at him weirdly. 

“Chanyeol! Can you do anything right? How long does it take to wake one man up?!?” His mom screams from downstairs. Baekhyun sits up stretching for a bit before slipping out of bed. 

“I only heard your name. Told you I was her favorite!” 

Chanyeol’s mom only leaves only after she makes sure they both have enough food until she comes back next Tuesday. She hands him twenty dollars like she’s been doing for as long as Chanyeol can remember. She tells Baekhyun she’ll see him next week with more food. Chanyeol changes his clothes and the pair move to the living room, sitting on opposite ends of the couch, Baekhyun closer to the tv and Chanyeol by the lamp and side table. 

Baekhyun pulls his knees to his chest as Chanyeol sets on a channel to watch. He hears Pirates of the Caribbean in the background and he watches Chanyeol's eyes as they widen as the movie plays on. He’s still the same. 

“You know, I’m sorry for jumping in your bed last night. I just-” 

Chanyeol looks away from the tv, “You don’t have to apologize.” He looks back at the movie, leaning back into the couch. 

“Seriously, it was wrong for-”

“Baek, you don’t have to apologize. A heads up would be nice but it’s okay. I understand.” 

They say nothing after that and Baekhyun tunes out the movie and all of Chanyeol’s side comments. He stares at the rug on the floor, thinking about all the things he could’ve said or done to keep Kyungsoo from leaving. This whole thing makes no sense to him, he thinks back to the dinner they all had. The amount of times the man got up to take a phone call, the amount of time he spent in the office when Baekhyun was waiting up for him. He puts his feet down, leaning against the couch, hand twisting the rings on his finger. 

He doesn’t know what to think but he doesn’t want to think about it at the same time. It sounds too quiet and Baekhyun looks up at the tv, finding the people moving but no sound. He looks at Chanyeol to find him already staring at him. 

“Are you okay? You’re crying.” Baekhyun reaches a hand up and sure enough his cheeks are wet. 

“I’m fine. I’m actually going to go to bed.” He gets up walking past Chanyeol.

“It’s only seven thirty!” Baekhyun just walks out the door and he can hear him up the stairs. He turns off the tv, setting the remote on the table, getting up to go after him. 

“Baekhyun!” He gets to the top of the stairs to see him standing in front of his door. 

“It’s okay if you’re not fine, but at least talk to me, you know I’m here for you.” Chanyeol takes a step forward and Baekhyun takes one back, running into the door, hand looking for the knob to open it. 

“Goodnight, Chanyeol.” 

Chanyeol leans against the banister with a sigh, watching the bedroom door close. He goes back downstairs, walking into his office this time, flicking on the light. He spends the rest of the night working, cleaning up files and filling out documents that should’ve been filled out weeks ago. He doesn’t like to be behind so he does as much as he can, taking note of what needs to stay at home and what needs to be taken back to the office. Chanyeol is finishing up when his phone starts to ring. He answers it knowing it can only be one person calling him this late at night.

“Yes Jongdae?”

“Did you see about that conference in Seoul in a few weeks and in December?” Of course he saw it, he likes going to conferences, believe it or not. 

“Yeah I saw it, what about it?” He asks.

“Did you see who was going?” He puts his file down and he hears crunching on the other line. 

“Who’s all going?”

“Well I don’t know exactly,” Chanyeol rolls his eyes. 

“But Jongin will be there.” Chanyeol moves to put him on speaker, no longer wanting to hold the phone at the mention of his rival. 

“I should’ve known you called me for a reason.” 

“You have to go, see what he’s up to. I’m sure he’s still single and struggling to sell houses.” Chanyeol knows he’s only saying it to make him feel better but he knows he’s probably selling more than him and he’s okay with that. 

“Why would I not go? I always go, and yes like every other time I see him, he will most likely be single again you know him.” 

They’ve met Jongin a number of times when they went to Seoul when they were just starting out. He was a friend at first but Jongdae didn’t like him after hanging out with him a few times and Jongdae is never wrong. When Chanyeol had opened his office in New York, Jongin didn’t show up to support him, instead he had a bigger office than Chanyeol in Seoul and everything from then on out felt like a competition. The meetings at conferences were different and Jongdae would walk away before Jongin could even speak to him. Chanyeol was being nice like he always was, he wasn’t going to hold a grudge when they were both roughly making the same amount of money. 

“You know I just had an idea!” 

His ideas are never good but he indulges in his friend as he shuts down his computer, “And what idea would that be?” 

“Take Baekhyun with you. I mean he could use a fresh scene and he probably hasn’t been there since he moved all those years ago.” 

Chanyeol sighs, “I’ll ask him but he’ll probably say no knowing him.” 

“I doubt he will want to stay in your house alone, so just ask!” 

“Alright, you’re talking my ears off and I still have to see you for the rest of the week.” 

“I knew I should’ve filled out that roommate change form after the first day!” They both hang up at the same time, thinking one of them hung up first like they do every time they call each other. Chanyeol cleans up his desk, putting everything away, stuffing files into his work bag. He turns off the light, walking out of his office. His house gets darker as he walks up the stairs but from the stop of the stairs he can see the light on in Baekhyun’s room. He doesn’t bother him, just letting him be because he knows he’ll come around eventually. He walks into his room closing the door behind him, not even turning on his lights, just plugging up his phone and getting into bed. He has a couple of condo’s to show and he wants to be fully rested for all he has to do tomorrow. 

  
  


He wakes up to the smell of bacon and it almost feels like a dream. His house never smells like anything in the morning, never any noise to be heard, just the quiet. He grabs his phone and sees he woke up five minutes before his alarm was even supposed to go off. He turns off the alarm, knowing he’s not going to sleep for those extra minutes since he’s already awake. Chanyeol makes his way all the way down to the kitchen, half asleep, finding Baekhyun making breakfast. 

“Did you even sleep?” Baekhyun jumps at the sound of the man’s voice in the empty kitchen. 

He ignores the question, “I made you breakfast since I was being a dickhead to you yesterday.” He turns back around to flip the pancake in the skillet before it burns. 

“Baekhyun-” 

“You didn’t have any orange juice, so I ordered some but it won’t be here until after you leave.” 

Chanyeol sighs and he knows he’s not going to get through to him so he sits down at the table and picks from the plates already set up with pancakes, eggs and bacon. Baekhyun joins him a few minutes later, sitting across from him as they eat in silence. Chanyeol thinks about how to ask him to these conferences and he figures he should just ask him even if he’s going to say no.

“So, I was wondering...I mean I wanted to ask you, you can say no if you want to. I just have to ask-”

“Spit out, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun laughs.

“There’s a realtor conference in a few weeks and in December and I wanted to know if you would come with me?” 

“Where?” Baekhyun puts his fork down, crossing his arms, setting them on the table.

“Seoul. It’s in Seoul.” Baekhyun goes back to eating and Chanyeol takes his silence as a no. He still has to get ready for work so he picks up his plate, putting in the sink before heading back upstairs. He told Jongdae he would say no so he doesn’t know why he even bothered asking the man. He gets dressed quickly because he’s already running late, since he usually doesn’t eat breakfast at home. He always gets dressed in his closet because it’s big enough and literally everything is in there. He turns around to find Baekhyun standing in the doorway. He fixes his tie, having a staring contest with the man in front of him. 

“I’ll go to Seoul with you.”

“You will?” Chanyeol asks, just to make sure. 

“Yeah, I don’t want to be here by myself.” He watches as Baekhyun walks away, going into his room. He sighs, walking downstairs to the front door, grabbing a coat and his bag. He makes note to thank Jongdae even though he really doesn’t want to. 

  
  


Chanyeol is rethinking his decision on asking Baekhyun to come to Seoul with him. He really wishes Jongdae was available to go with him but of course he was going to put in a last minute vacation notice so he wouldn’t have to. He would prefer to travel with someone who talked too much rather than someone who didn’t talk to him at all. The past three weeks he hasn’t seen Baekhyun unless it was to eat breakfast or dinner. It feels like he’s living alone again, except when his mother comes over to cook for them. Baekhyun is lively as ever when she’s here and Chanyeol just stays quiet and watches them interact. When she leaves, Baekhyun is already heading back upstairs to his room. He doesn’t know if he’s been sleeping or not. Sometimes he can see the light on from underneath the door and sometimes he can’t. 

He zips up his suitcase after triple checking he has everything. They’re only going to be gone for three days but Chanyeol always forgets something but this time he has everything. He hasn’t been to Seoul in a while so he’s kind of excited even though it’s more of a business trip more than anything else. 

“Ready to go?” Chanyeol jumps slightly at the man’s voice as he turns around. Chanyeol just nods his head, watching as Baekhyun rolls away with his suitcase in hand. He follows after him, just letting his suitcase hit the stairs. His mother really should’ve had an elevator put in this place before she gave it to him. 

“You know this place could use an elevator. I feel like I’ve been going to the gym everyday because of these stairs.” Chanyeol just hums in response. 

They roll everything out to the car, getting in when the trunk is packed. Chanyeol likes to drive so he decided against getting an uber and just leaving his car parked for a couple of days so they wouldn’t have to wait for anything on the way there or back. The ride to JFK is filled with Baekhyun humming along to every song on the radio. Like always, JFK is packed so Baekhyun holds onto Chanyeol’s arm the whole time so he doesn’t get lost in the crowd. 

“Since we’re early can we get food?” Chanyeol looks down at Baekhyun. He thinks he should be worried about him talking to him because he hasn’t been doing it in the past few weeks. 

“You know they give you food on the plane, right?” 

“Yeah but I want something else.” Chanyeol nods his head and tells him to wait until they get through security. They stand in line for thirty minutes before they actually make it to the front of the line. 

Chanyeol never dresses up for the airport so when he is done with security he slips on his sneakers and grabs his jacket, waiting for Baekhyun to put his stuff back on. He takes his arm again without another word walking further into the airport.

“How about pizza?” Baekhyun asks.

“It is dinner time so yeah why not!” Chanyeol leads him to the grab and go pizza place, waiting in line. 

“You smell different today, why?” Chanyeol laughs at the question. 

“Would you rather I wear Prada cologne for a twenty one hour flight just so I smell the same?” They move up in line.

“Sorry, I’m just used to the smell I guess.” He’s about to respond when his phone rings. 

“Yes, Jongdae?” 

“Yeah, he’s standing right next to me.” Baekhyun turns his head to look at him because they could only be talking about him. He tries to inch closer to hear the convo but all he hears is the busy airport instead. 

“I always tell Jongin you say hi instead of what you actually want me to say, I’m too nice for that.” 

“Okay mom, bye!” 

“Who’s Jongin?” Baekhyun asks right when it’s their turn to order. Baekhyun doesn’t even have to say his order because the man already knows what he’s going to get. By the time Baekhyun blinks again, Chanyeol is handing him a box and he’s walking away from the counter. He runs to catching up with him as they start walking towards their gate. 

“You didn’t have to pay, you know?” Chanyeol hugs his shoulders, biting into his pizza, taking a seat in an empty row. 

“You’re so talkative, are you okay?” 

“I get to leave New York, of course I’m okay!” Chanyeol stares at his friend but doesn’t say anything. Their group gets called to board the plane, so he throws away their pizza boxes, standing in line behind Baekhyun as everyone gets their tickets checked. 

  
  


Chanyeol sleeps through both of their flights. He didn’t even realize he was tired but Baekhyun waking him up when they were getting off both planes made him realize how much work he’s actually been doing. He sends Baekhyun to get their luggage while he goes to rent a car for the next few days while they’re here. He’s signing the paper just as Baekhyun returns, two luggages traveling behind him. He gets the keys and turns to face his friend. 

“Let’s go find this car.” He takes his own luggage from the man who is clearly struggling. The exit the airport, walking towards the rental parking. Chanyeol beeps the lock button while they're walking through the parking lot, trying to find the car. 

“They didn’t give you the license plate?” Baekhyun asks, tired from walking. 

“I don’t remember it.” Baekhyun knows he has the piece of paper in his pocket but he prefers to do it this way so he leaves him be. They’re walking through the last row of cars when they finally hear a car beeping. They walk towards a black Toyota and Chanyeol unlocks the doors. He takes his luggage and throws it in the trunk, gesturing for Baekhyun to do the same. 

“So where is this conference exactly?” Baekhyun questions once they’re in the car. 

“It’s in the ballroom of the hotel so we don’t have to go far unless we want some food.” 

“So, who’s Jongin?” 

“How do you know about him?” 

“You mentioned him while we were about to get pizza.” Chanyeol pulls out of the parking lot, making his way to the hotel. 

“Ah, he’s my rival technically speaking. Jongdae hates him, always has.” 

“Interesting. So will I be meeting him?” 

“If you want to, I’m not against it but Jongdae definitely is.” Baekhyun just nods his head and then turns to look out the window. He hasn’t stepped foot in Seoul since he was fifteen, it feels like there are more buildings than he remembers but it’s still pretty either way. He feels his eyes getting heavy but he knows he can’t sleep because his sleeping schedule will be even more messed up. It’s only noon in Korea so he still has a full day ahead of him before he can even think about sleeping. While his mind is running, Chanyeol pulls into the parking lot of the hotel. 

“I should warn you we’re on different floors but the same room. It’s how Jongdae and I have always done it.” 

Baekhyun doesn’t mind having his own room, he’s already gotten used to having his own room and sleeping alone. Some days he actually falls asleep and other days he stays up with the light on watching youtube videos. It just depends on how he’s feeling. 

“That’s fine, as long as I know where you’re staying!” They both get out, heading towards the open trunk, grabbing their luggage. They both probably packed way too much for this trip but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Chanyeol leads the way once he closes the trunk, walking towards the entrance. He stands by his side as he checks them in, blindly handing Baekhyun a key card as he still talks to the receptionist. 

“I think my brain hurts from hearing you speak Korean.” He tells his friend while they wait for the elevator. 

“Don’t worry you won’t hear a lot of it at the conference, so you should be good.” They step into the elevator and Chanyeol presses eight and nine. The ride is short and Chanyeol gets off first. 

“Remember we have the same room number so if you need something just come down or just call me, okay?” Baekhyun nods his head and watches as the door closes and his friend disappears. 

Chanyeol sighs as the doors close. He didn’t really have anything planned for the rest of the day because with Jongdae they usually spend the day in their rooms, watching, dramas and occasionally texting each other to see if they’re hungry or not. He doesn’t know how this trip with Baekhyun will be but he’s hoping for the best during this entire trip. He stops in front of his room 812, placing the key card up against the door handle, until it turns green. He rolls his luggage inside, letting it go into a random corner of the room. He flops down on his bed, letting the door close on it’s own. 

He wakes up to banging on his door and the room is pitch black. He doesn’t know when he fell asleep but he can’t believe he slept through the entire day either. He rolls off the bed, stumbling towards the door so the banging can stop. Chanyeol opens the door just a crack only for Baekhyun to burst in the room, closing it behind him and locking it in every way he can. 

“I heard him.” 

“Heard who?” They’re standing in the dark but Chanyeol can see him pacing the room back and forth. He moves to lay down on the bed as he’s still half asleep. 

“Who else would he be? I heard Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol rubs his eyes. 

“You’re crazy. That man has never even been to Seoul, so why would he be here now?” Baekhyun moves to sit next to his friend, who’s still laying down. 

“He has been to Seoul and I know I heard him, I’m not crazy.” Chanyeol sits up at the mention of him ever coming to Seoul because he never knew that. He sits on the edge of the bed next to Baekhyun. He goes to ask when he was here but Baekhyun beats him to the punch. 

“You know how he’s a year younger than us and we graduated first?” Chanyeol nods his head.

“He spent his last year studying abroad in Seoul. You wouldn’t have known that because he went to a different school and I just never told anyone.” 

“You sure are keeping a lot of secrets.” Baekhyun ignores his statement, standing up in front of the man. 

“I’m not crazy, I heard him. I know his voice anywhere, I’ve heard him speak everyday for more than six years!”

Chanyeol looks up at his friend, crossing his arms, “So you want to go on a wild goose chase to find the man who left you in the middle of the night because you heard someone who sounds like him?” 

Baekhyun narrows his eyes, “That’s not what I said.”

“Then what are you saying?” Chanyeol realizes he’s still in his clothes from earlier. He turns on the lamp that’s near the bed, finally able to see. Baekhyun is in his pajamas and he moves towards his suitcase to get his own. Baekhyun watches his every move before speaking. 

“I don’t know.” Baekhyun sits back on the bed, watching Chanyeol rummage through his suitcase.  
  


He grabs everything he needs to shower and makes his way into the bathroom without another word. Baekhyun is left by himself in the room to deal with his thoughts. He gets under the covers that Chanyeol was sleeping on top of. He leaves the light on for a little bit longer, biting his nails, wondering if he’s actually going crazy. He looks at the rings on his fingers, just staring at them. If anyone were to ask him if this made sense to him at this point, he would still say no. He did everything he was supposed to do in their relationship, he thought they were in love and going to get married but it turns out only he felt that way. He doesn’t know how long it has been a one sided relationship and he’d rather not know but he just wants to know why. He doesn’t think he’ll be able to face Kyungsoo any time soon but he knows he will have to eventually. 

“Well since you’re already under the covers, I guess I’ll let you stay with me.” He slowly turns his head at his friend, still rotating the rings on his finger. 

“God, when do you even find time to go to the gym?” Chanyeol throws on a shirt just as he says it. It’s not the first time he’s seen him shirtless but he’s definitely toned up since he saw him. 

“Every other Sunday.” Chanyeol walks over to the other side of the bed. 

“We have to be up at at least nine but the conference doesn’t start until eleven.” 

“Okay I can do that.” Baekhyun turns out the light and it surprises Chanyeol. 

“You don’t want to sleep with the light on?” 

“Chanyeol, don’t play dumb. You know I can’t sleep with the light on.” They both go silent and Chanyeol stares at the ceiling for longer than he should. He still feels tired and he thanks his shower because otherwise he would probably be up for the rest of the night. 

“Can we go do karaoke afterwards?” He asks, facing Chanyeol this time.

“We can do whatever you want, Baek.” 

  
  
  


Baekhyun is ready to go back to his room. He doesn’t know anybody here and Chanyeol is off mingling with people who he seems to be familiar with. They sat through all the speeches and presentations and he learned more about real estate than he ever wanted to learn. He’s by the food table and there isn’t much besides snacks but he still fills his plate up. He’s the only one over there so he doesn’t have to feel embarrassed about taking so much. He’s stuffing grapes in his mouth when he feels a body pressed against him. 

“Next time, I’ll make sure to bring some tupperware bowls so you can take everything to go.” 

“Chanyeol, I will make you put this in your pockets.” He’s too close and he can smell the Prada cologne as he moves to steal a cookie off his plate. 

“Well, if it isn’t Park Chanyeol.” They both look up at the voice walking towards them. 

“Jongin, as always lovely to see you.” Baekhyun watches as the two men shake hands and Jongin’s eyes land on him, making eye contact. 

“Is this your boyfriend?” Baekhyun snorts at the question because it’s honestly a ridiculous question. Chanyeol pinches his waist from behind and he squirms a little bit. 

“Not my boyfriend. This is Baekhyun, my friend. Baekhyun, this is Jongin.” 

“Nice to meet you. I would shake your hand but my hands are full.” He moves the plate, so he’s holding it with both hands, showing him. 

“That's okay. Anyways Chanyeol, it seems like you’re the last single one among us.” 

“So I heard. Where is this mysterious boyfriend of yours?” Chanyeol looks around looking for the said man. 

“He’s in the restroom, he’ll be back in any moment. How’s New York?” 

“Everything is good, a little slow but it’s the winter so it's expected.” 

“Sad to hear. Just sold a house yesterday.” Baekhyun rolls his eyes at that and now he can see why Jongdae doesn’t like him. 

“Well, congrats to you!” Chanyeol moves behind Baekhyun just a little bit more, so he’s standing directly behind him. 

“Why are you always so hard to find at these events?” Baekhyun drops the plate he's holding, running into Chanyeol’s chest as he takes a step backwards. 

“I’m sorry, babe. Guys, this is Kyungsoo.” The air is stale and the only thing that can be heard is Baekhyun’s breathing. Kyungsoo looks terrified and Chanyeol is angry.

“Oh, we know who he is.” Baekhyun leaves without another word and the only one who seems to be confused is Jongin. 

“Congratulations, you’re not only a conceited asshole but you’re also a home wrecker. Kyungsoo if I ever see you again…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, running off to find Baekhyun knowing he can only be in one of two places. He takes the elevator to his floor first because he now understands why he said he heard the man’s voice. He was staying on the same floor as them. He sprints out of the elevator as soon as the doors open, heading to his room. He sees Baekhyun, leaning his head against the door and the closer he gets he can hear him crying. Chanyeol wraps an arm around his waist as he opens the door so he doesn’t fall. He all but drags him into the room, still sobbing and barely walking. 

“He...He..” Baekhyun tries to get everything out but he just cries instead. Chanyeol walks with him to the bed, sitting him on the edge, kneeling in front of him. 

“He left me for him! I told you I heard his voice, I knew I wasn’t crazy!” He sits and cries because that’s all he can do. He feels the pain he felt in his chest when he was all alone in their house, waiting for him to return. Now that he knows where he is, it doesn’t help Baekhyun clear his mind at all. It hurts even more. 

“I did everything for him, Chanyeol. Why wasn’t I good enough? What does he have that I don’t?” 

Chanyeol knows he shouldn’t say anything so he doesn’t. He stands up in front of Baekhyun, wrapping his arms around him, as he cries into his shirt. Baekhyun choked on a breath and Chanyeol pulls back to make sure he’s okay. He’s heard him make that sound when he cries exactly once in his life. Freshman year when he failed his business final exam and he knew his dad was going to kill him. His crying turns into him choking and it just gets ugly from there. 

“Hey Baek, I need you to breathe for me okay? In and out.”

Baekhyun does calm down after thirty minutes and only sniffles can be heard in the room. Chanyeol moves towards the fridge to grab a water bottle, passing it to his friend. He takes off his shoes, leaving them by the wall, and takes off his suit jacket before getting into bed. 

“Alright, come here.” He says, arms open for a hug. Chanyeol really isn’t the type to cuddle but he knows Baekhyun is. Baekhyun stares at him for a while to make sure this is really happening before he moves into his arms. He never understands how Baekhyun is always this warm but he welcomes it this time. He heard the man’s shoes hit the floor as he makes himself more comfortable. They’re both still wearing suits, so every move they make only wrinkles their clothes even more. 

Baekhyun settles against his chest, staring at nothing before speaking. “He’s such a dead man when my dad finds out about this.” Chanyeol laughs quietly, he’s met his dad before. A short man with way too much energy, like father like son. 

“Your dad wouldn’t hurt a fly!” 

“My dad would definitely hurt a man. Break a man's legs if he had to.” Chanyeol has many questions but he saves them for later. 

“When we first started dating, he was the sweetest thing. I never met anyone like him before, he was like a breath of fresh air.” Chanyeol listens, rubbing a hand down his back. 

“We got close really quickly, but not quick like the three of us, it just all seemed so perfect. He’s all I’ve ever known and now he’s just gone. I feel like I wasted a good portion of my life for nothing, just to be left on the side of the road.” Baekhyun plays with the button on Chanyeol’s shirt, subconsciously. 

Chanyeol doesn’t speak, just lets him get everything off his chest, even if all he wants to do is go downstairs and find Kyungsoo and maybe punch him in the face a couple of times. Jongin too just for good luck. He figures they won’t be leaving the room anytime soon, now that he knows Kyungsoo is somewhere in the same hotel as him. He wishes Jongdae were here with him because he knows he would’ve caused a scene and embarrassed the hell out of Jongin. 

“I bought him that office he has now for one of our anniversaries. He didn’t even have to pay for the house we lived in. He basically used me to get what he wanted and left when I stopped handing things out.” 

“Wait a minute,” Chanyeol has to interrupt him for this one. “He said he bought that house for you guys at Jongdae’s birthday party.” 

Baekhyun scoffs, “He couldn’t afford anything on his salary back then, my dad gave us that house since he retired and wasn’t going to use it anymore.” 

“What does your dad do?” Chanyeol is just starting to realize he doesn’t know much about his friend. He’s met his parents plenty of times but they were always in an open setting. They would always come to New York and stay for the Weekend every once in a while. Baekhyun has been to his house plenty of times but he’s never been to Baekhyun’s. Granted the man did live out of state and he never did go home for breaks. 

“He’s a retired FBI Agent.” Chanyeol whistles and it echoes in the room. 

“The house we lived in was his safe house. He gave it to me on our fourth anniversary.” His dad could definitely have a hit put out for Kyungsoo if he wanted to, if Baekhyun ever tells him what happened. They sit in silence for a while and Baekhyun moves again, throwing a leg over his moving closer to him. He’s surprised he’s not sweating at this point being this close to him, he moves to pull his phone out of his pocket when Baekhyun sits up, straddling his thigh. He doesn’t realize it then as he’s going through his phone, glad he connected to the hotel wifi before they left this morning. 

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun starts. 

Chanyeol hums in response, letting him know he’s listening. 

“I want to go home.” 

“Our flight is tomorrow night, so don’t worry we’ll be going home soon.” He replies to an email about some availability to show condo’s when he gets back. 

“No, I mean I want to go _home_.” Chanyeol locks his phone and looks up at his friend who’s looking down at him, arms crossed. 

“You mean home….As in Connecticut?” Baekhyun nods his head. Chanyeol sits up a little, hand coming to Baekhyun’s thigh as he moves, resting against the headboard and Baekhyun doesn’t move, still on his thigh. 

“I don’t want to stay here another day and I don’t think I want to be in New York either.” He says softly. Chanyeol can understand and he knew this would happen one day but he thought he was just going to find an apartment, still in the city but he clearly thought wrong. 

Baekhyun gets off the bed after a moment, grabbing his shoes and heads for the door. Chanyeol is faster, beating him to the door after climbing over the bed. 

“Where are you going?” He says, blocking the door. 

“I just told you I wanted to go home.” Baekhyun sighs.

“I can’t let you do that.” 

“Why not?” 

“How do I know you’re not going to stay there for good? How do I know this won’t be the last time I see you?” 

“You don’t know that and that’s kind of the point.” 

Chanyeol crosses his arms, “Then I can’t let you leave.” 

Baekhyun is tired and he really doesn’t want to do this. “Please move.” He whispers. 

The man doesn’t budge and Baekhyun knows he can’t physically move him himself. He wouldn’t stand a chance against him. He drops his shoes on the floor and walks towards him. 

“Move or I’ll make you move.” He says, stopping right in front of him. Chanyeol doesn’t do too well with people in his personal space and he knows Baekhyun knows that but he doesn’t waver. 

Baekhyun throws both his arms around the man’s neck, standing on his toes a bit to look him in the eye. 

“Freshman year,” Baekhyun scans his face for any emotion, finding none. 

“The Christmas party.” He feels Chanyeol tense up and he steps back, grabbing his shoes. 

“Now, move.” Chanyeol moves from the door because he was sure he was the only one to remember that night. He swore he would take it to the grave with him because nothing could be done about the situation, he knew it the morning after the party and he knows it now. There’s nothing but white noise in his head but he hears the door close, looking up to see the room empty. Baekhyun leaves in his sock feet not looking back and he really doesn’t know if he’ll ever be back again.


	2. Chapter 2

Three months later, days away from Christmas, Chanyeol wakes up late for work. He hasn’t gotten used to waking up to the dark mornings outside yet, so this isn’t the first time he’s been late. He gets dressed in the dark and brushes his teeth quickly before heading downstairs. His house is dark, only the light in the living barely illuminating the first floor. He grabs his jacket and puts on his shoes, thankful that it’s still not snowing outside. He grabs his work bag and heads for the door, opening the door only to jump back before he can step out. 

“Why are you here?”

“What are you wearing?” 

They say at the same time. Baekhyun laughs but Chanyeol is waiting for him to answer the question. 

“You do know you have on an orange sweater, blue slacks and brown shoes, right?” Chanyeol looks down at himself and groans as he looks at his outfit. He could’ve sworn he saw the right colors without turning on the light but he didn’t win this time. 

“You didn’t answer the question. You do that a lot, you know?” Baekhyun knows he does because it’s the way he was raised. Don’t let anyone ask you questions, ask them first. 

“Can I come in?” Chanyeol hesitates before opening the door wider and Baekhyun steps in. 

“I still have to get to work and I’m already late.” He tells him with a sigh.

“I talk and you change?” Chanyeol heads up stairs back to his closet, this time turning on the light as he shifts through his clothes. 

“I’m sorry for being so closed off when you were just trying to help me. I know you didn’t want me to leave but I had to. It felt like every place I thought I knew was tainted by him and I just had to get away.” 

Chanyeol gets undressed, exchanging his blue slacks for black ones, red sweater for a plain white shirt and brown shoes for his black shoes. 

“You did a lot for me and I should’ve been more grateful towards you and I wasn’t. You let me stay here when you could’ve just left me in that house.” Baekhyun watches as he gets undressed, eyes roaming over the man’s body as he speaks. 

“I’m also sorry for bringing up the Christmas party.” Chanyeol zips his zipper on his pants and Baekhyun looks up from where he was staring, looking at the man in front of him. 

“I wasn’t that drunk but Jongdae told me about it anyways. Apparently he saw us.” 

“I really have to get to work.” Chanyeol turns out the light, pushing past him heading down the stairs. 

“Were you even listening to me?” Baekhyun says now irritated, following him back down the stairs

“I heard you, Baekhyun. Apology accepted, is that what you wanted to hear?” Baekhyun doesn’t like his tone and he’s trying to be nice but it just won’t do this time around. 

“At least say something, I came all the way back here for you. I could’ve stayed home if I knew you were going to act like this.” 

“Baekhyun, I told you not to go and you left anyway. What do you want me to say?” His hand is on the door knob ready to leave, bag in his hand now that he’s dressed properly. 

“Tell me you’re happy to see me. Say I look better than before. Say anything but what you’re saying right now.” Baekhyun runs a hand through his hair and Chanyeol watches the movement, noticing it’s his left hand and his ring finger is empty, no rings in sight. 

“I’ll be back at three.” Chanyeol opens the door, closing it behind him, leaving Baekhyun in the front hallway of his house. Chanyeol doesn’t have time for this and he all but speeds over to the office. He storms into his office, finding Jongdae in his chair. 

“Rough morning?” He asks, obviously knowing this isn’t the first time Chanyeol has been late this winter. 

“Baekhyun is back.” Jongdae stands up at the mention of his friend's name. 

“Where is he? Is out front? I have a bone to pick with him, he left me out of this whole situation. I swear when I see him-”

“Freshman year’s Christmas party.” Jongdae goes silent and all that can be heard is the phone ringing at the front desk. Jongdae moves to answer it to get out of the situation but Chanyeol blocks his path. 

“What did you see?” 

“Nothing.” 

“You’re lying, I saw your ear twitch.” Jongdae covers his right ear, rubbing it until it stops twitching. 

“We’re almost thirty, are we really about to bring it up now?” 

“Blame Baekhyun.” 

Jongdae scoffs, waving a hand, “Baekhyun doesn’t know about it!” His hand shoots up to cover his ear but he’s too late. 

“Both of you are tied for the number one spot as the worst person on this earth right about now!” 

“Okay, okay geez I’ll tell you! I don’t know why you wanna know from my point of view because I’m pretty sure  _ your _ point of-”

“Jongdae!” 

“Right sorry.” 

“Just because you let someone suck your dick, outside behind a tree, doesn’t mean you're the only ones out there. I was in the tree house with some girl and we went to go leave but you guys...were at the foot….of the ladder.” 

“Get out of my office.” Jongdae leaves because he knows if he says anything else, Chanyeol will most definitely have his head. The phone is ringing again so he puts some pep in his step and leaves the man alone. 

Chanyeol throws himself into his files for the rest of the day. He really doesn’t want to think about anything else for the time being. He schedules a few appointments, gets rid of old files he doesn’t need anymore. His office isn’t as clean as he would like it to be and he would really like to take a day off just to clean it. 

“Hey, you ready?” Chanyeol looks at his watch to see it’s almost two and they have a showing. 

“Yeah, start the car for me would you?” He throws his keys at Jongdae, trying to organize a little bit and takes the one file he needs for today, grabs his jacket and turns off all the lights as he walks through the office. He locks up quickly, running over to the car to escape the cold. There’s still no snow but it’s too cold for Chanyeol to be walking briskly. 

“The Collins just called, they arrived a bit early so they went to a coffee shop nearby.” Jongdae says, as he gets in the car. Chanyeol nods his head, pulling out of his parking spot. 

There’s the usual traffic but they make it there in time and the couple is walking down the street, just as they arrive. They quickly get out, meeting them in front of the apartment. It has the same name as Chanyeol’s but in a busier neighborhood. It’s Jongdae’s turn to show off, so Chanyeol hangs back only talking when he’s needed. 

He’s in the kitchen, looking through their file when he hears footsteps. He looks up to see Jongdae smiling at him. 

“They want it! I gave them some more time to look around, but they’ll sign today.” 

“Proud of you. Look at you showing off houses by yourself, I told you you could do this by yourself.” Chanyeol points his pen at his friend. 

“Yeah, but showing houses with you is more fun.” He leans against the island across from his friend. They have spent almost everyday together for the past four years, anyone would think they would be sick of each other by now. He’s glad he has Jongdae by his side and he wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else. He hands the pen over to him when he hears extra footsteps coming towards them. 

They see the couple off after they sign all the documents. They watch them get into their car, waving as they drive off. 

“Do you want a ride home or are you taking the train?” Chanyeol never knows what Jongdae has going on after work but he always has plans with his family. 

“Yeah, I’m going to take the train. I’m meeting my cousins for an early dinner.” 

“Okay, text me when you get there. Oh and you don’t have to come in tomorrow.” 

“Sweet, enjoy your day off! I’ll see you on Thursday.” He waves to him, watching him walk up the street. Chanyeol sighs and gets in the car. He doesn’t necessarily have the day off, he really needs to clean up the place. 

He drives home slowly but it seems for once traffic is not on his side and the roads are clear. He makes it home in no time and he sits outside of his house for a few minutes before turning off the car. He knows Baekhyun has either left or he’s still waiting for him inside. Chanyeol also knows he has no real reason to be mad at him for leaving. He doesn’t feel like he’s mad now so he gets out of the car so he can quit stalling. 

Walking up to the door he can smell something cooking. He unlocks the door, closing it softly behind him. He throws his jacket and bag on the bench, towing off his shoe and makes his way through the hallway towards the stairs, heading to the kitchen. 

Baekhyun is sitting at the table, scrolling on his phone when Chanyeol turns the corner. Baekhyun looks up as he gets closer to the table. 

“Hi, how was work?” Chanyeol takes a seat directly across from him, taking off his suit jacket. 

“Closed a deal so I guess it was okay.” He says, looking around the kitchen. 

“I just put a meatloaf in the oven so it won’t be done for a while.” Baekhyun locks his phone and folds his hands in front of him. 

Chanyeol nods his head. “I’m sorry for this morning.” 

“It’s okay, it really is.” 

“How was home?” He looks up from his hand, looking at Baekhyun, finding the man already staring at him. 

“Really good actually. I haven’t been home in about two years so it was really nice. My siblings all happened to be home too so it was nice to catch up with everyone.” 

“Did you tell everyone?” He’s curious to know because he doesn’t think he would tell anyone if his siblings weren’t at home. 

“Yeah, I told everyone at the same time. There were some tears and some cheers.” Baekhyun laughs and remembers how his brother, Baekbeom, got hit for cheering. He was sitting next to his mom so it was really his own fault. 

“I’m glad you had a good time then.” Neither of them say anything after that, letting the silence in the kitchen take over them. Baekhyun goes back to his phone, texting away, smiling every now and then. They created a family group chat while he was home so he’s been constantly texting them about everything even if it wasn’t relevant to the conversation. 

Chanyeol clears his throat, standing up from his seat. “I’m going to go finish up some work so text me when dinner is ready.” 

“Wait, I have a new phone so I don’t have your number anymore.” He says softly. Chanyeol holds his hand out for Baekhyun’s phone. He passes it to him, watching Chanyeol’s input his number, handing it back to him when he’s done. Chanyeol leaves the kitchen, heading upstairs and Baekhyun lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. He turns his attention back to the stove, waiting for the timer to go off, so they can have dinner. 

  
  
  


In his office, Chanyeol slowly filters through his filing cabinets. He throws out anything from 2017 and before as he really doesn’t need it anymore. He double checks to make sure everything is saved online before he shreds it because there is no going back once it’s in pieces. He doesn’t understand why he hasn’t done this sooner and he can only think about all the files that are going to be waiting for him in the morning. He sighs and shreds another file, sitting down in his chair to think for a moment. He wonders if Baekhyun will stay with him longer or find his own place. He doesn’t mind if the older does really, he would just like to be informed. Chanyeol thinks about how there’s no snow on the ground and it’s almost Christmas. He thinks about how even if he did contact Baekhyun while he was gone he wouldn’t have gotten through to him because he had a completely new phone. He’s about to go back to shredding when his phone rings, an unsaved number popping up. He answers it thinking it must be the man downstairs. 

“Hello?” He says, answering the phone. 

“Hi, dinner is ready.” Baekhyun says softly. 

“Okay I’ll-”

“I could bring it up to you, if you don’t want to eat in the kitchen.” Baekhyun rushes in. 

“No, I’ll come down to the kitchen.” Chanyeol hangs up, walking up stairs to change out of his clothes. 

  
  


When he gets downstairs he sees Baekhyun sitting in the same spot as before with no plate in front of him. 

“Are you not eating?” Baekhyun lifts his head up, folding his hands. 

“I already ate and I’m on a diet so I’ll have some fruit or something later.” Chanyeol doesn’t question it, sitting down in front of the plate that’s across from the man. He digs into his meatloaf and it tastes oddly familiar. He looks up to see Baekhyun watching him, a slight smile on his face. 

He takes another bite before speaking, “What is it?” 

“How is it?” Chanyeol chews slowly because he swears he’s had this meatloaf before. 

“What did you put in this? You’re acting weird.” 

Baekhyun unlocks his phone, texting his brother back, “Everything your mother puts in it.” He replies nonchalantly. 

Chanyeol's fork scrapes against the plate because there is no way his mother gave him her special recipe before she gave it to him. Chanyeol swallows whatever is left in his mouth thinking about what to say. 

“You’re lying.” That’s the best he can come up with. 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, “I told you I was her favorite, why would I lie about that?” 

Chanyeol finishes eating without another word, watching as Baekhyun textes away on his phone. His mother is going to hear it from him the next time sees her. He wants to call her right now but this is the kind of situation that needs to be handled face to face because Chanyeol wants answers. He begs for that recipe every other Tuesday and she still hasn't even given him a hint as to what she puts in it to make it taste so good, there’s no way she would just give it to Baekhyun. It is true that she has always liked Baekhyun from the first time she met him, which was at Chanyeol’s birthday dinner party one year in college. 

“Do you work tomorrow?” Baekhyun asks, interrupting his thoughts. 

“Yes and no.” Baekhyun raises a brow, still not looking up from his phone. 

“Yes, I will be physically going to the office but no I will not be doing any real work.” 

“So there’s this Christmas market happening and I wanted to know if you’ll go with me.” Chanyeol clears his throat and Baekhyun finally looks at him. 

“You just got here, how do you even know about that? I said that I will be at the office so I can’t go with you.” 

“You said you won’t be doing any work and I heard about it from the cab driver.” Chanyeol scoffs, putting down his fork to fold his arms. 

“I’ll still be in the office, Baekhyun.” he tells the man. 

“Okay, I’ll go by myself then, no biggie.” Baekhyun pushes his chair back, walking around the table to walk up the stairs. 

Chanyeol grabs his wrist before he can get any further pulling him back against the table.

“Did she really give you the recipe?” Baekhyun looks down at the hand completely covering his wrist and then up at the man. 

“She did.” Baekhyun walks away without another word, hand slipping from his wrist, leaving Chanyeol to sit and stare at his empty plate.

  
  
  
  


Chanyeol has called his mom twice while he was in the office cleaning up and she sends him to voicemail every time. Now he knows for sure she really gave him the recipe because she always answers his calls. There’s a lot more to organize in the office and he really needs to clean out the shredder before he moves onto the next cabinet. He knows for sure that if she isn’t answering the phone now she won’t come over on Tuesday like she usually does. He pulls out the files that are in the back, slamming them on his desk. He hears knocking and he freezes, hovering over his chair. When he doesn’t hear it anymore he sits down ready to go through all the files he pulled out. He flips open the file on top when he hears knocking again. He stands up peeking his head out of his office, seeing a man at the door. He moves closer to the front door and sees its Baekhyun, shopping bag in one hand, grocery bag in the other. 

  
  


Chanyeol walks over to the door unlocking it from the inside, to open it. 

“How did you know where my office was?” He asks, letting the man into the space. 

“Are you hungry? It’s past lunch and I figured you didn’t eat.” Baekhyun says, setting everything down on the front desk. 

“You’re doing it again.” 

“I met up with Jongdae and he told me where to go.” Baekhyun tells him leaning against the desk. 

“You met up with Jongdae? How’d you get in touch with him?” 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, “When your father is a FBI Agent, you learn a few things. Now, do you wanna eat or do you want me to walk back out that door?” 

Chanyeol silently walks back into his office and he knows Baekhyun is following him by the rustling of the bags. He sits in his chair and Baekhyun sits on the couch, setting the food on the table. 

“Seems like you got a lot of work done, so a break wouldn’t hurt.” Baekhyun states, looking at all the trash bags full of shredded paper. 

“Thank you for the food, you really didn’t have to get me anything.” 

The pair eats in silence, Chanyeol shredding papers every now and then. Baekhyun reclines on the couch, like Jongdae does, letting his noodles fall into his mouth from above. He gets up eventually to take all the trash bags out because they’re crowding his office. He only has one more drawer to go and then he will be done for the day. 

By the time Chanyeol does get done, Baekhyun is finished with his food, sitting on the couch just staring at him. Chanyeol moves to the right out of his vision and when the man’s eyes don’t follow him, he realizes he’s just spacing out. 

“Baekhyun!” The man’s head snaps to where he is. 

“Sorry, just thinking about something.” Chanyeol shakes his head and goes back to cleaning his office so he can go home for the rest of the day. He sweeps and wipes everything down, throwing their lunch away, in the last bag full of shredded paper. 

“So about the Christmas market,” The older man starts. “Since you’re not working anymore, now will you go with me?” 

Chanyeol should’ve known that was the only reason why he came to visit him. He logs off his computer, pushing in his office chair, turning out the lights as he walks through the office. 

“I really don’t want to, but I’m guessing you’re not going to take no for an answer.” 

“You would be correct, so let’s go!” He watches as Baekhyun skips out the door, straight to his car, waiting for him to unlock it. 

  
  


Chanyeol sighs and locks up his office, meeting the man outside to unlock his car. 

“Where is this Christmas market exactly?” He asks, waiting for his car to warm up. 

“It’s right next to Central Park. We don’t have to stay for long, it’s going to be dark soon anyway.” Chanyeol looks at the time on his dashboard and it’s almost going on four. He basically worked until his usual time, so he doesn’t feel too out of routine for the day. He pulls out of his parking spot, heading towards Central Park. Chanyeol likes to drive, he just really hates driving in traffic, he doesn’t really have road rage. He tried to stop cussing and just switched to honking the horn for as long as possible instead. 

By the time they make it to Central Park and find parking, it’s already dark outside. They walk towards the entrance of Columbus Circle finding it already crowded. Chanyeol wishes he would’ve worn a bigger jacket as there’s a bigger breeze out than he thought it would be. 

“Do you know where you want to go?” The man asks, as Baekhyun loops his arms through his. 

“Candles, puzzles, socks and art. That’s all that we’re here for, don't let me stray from that list.” Chanyeol nods his head making a mental list. There’s too many people in the area so Chanyeol ends up taking Baekhyun’s hand in his, dragging him through the crowd so he doesn’t get lost. They make it to the candle stall after five minutes of trying to get to it. 

“Alright, find the most Christmassy candle there is!” Baekhyun walks away from his side, letting go of his hand to smell the candles. Chanyeol sighs, picking up a candle and immediately putting it back down at the smell of pure grass. He doesn’t find any good candles and they all smell normal to him. He comes across a gingerbread candle and it smells good but it would just make him hungry all the time. 

“Hey, you found one! I found these two but I think I’m only going to get the one that smells like laundry to balance everything out.” Baekhyun comes to his side, taking the candle out of his hand, heading to the front of the stall to go pay for it. Chanyeol’s job is done so he waits for him at the end of the tent. Three more things to find and then they can go home. He’s pulled out his thoughts when Baekhyun links his hand with his pulling him deeper into the market circle. 

“Are you going to get something?” Baekhyun asks, once they get through the most crowded part of the market.

“I wasn’t planning on it but if I see anything I like I might buy it.” The puzzles and socks are oddly enough right across from each other so they don’t have to go far. Baekhyun goes to look at the socks and Chanyeol goes to pick out a puzzle. It doesn’t take long to get a puzzle. He chooses ones with dogs playing in the snow and reindeer puzzles that seem like it would take forever to finish. He pays for both of them and heads over to the sock stall when he hears shouting. 

“I walked in here to buy these, why would I steal from the Christmas market?” Baekhyun says calmly. 

“I saw you! You put a pair of socks into that bag of yours!” The shop lady says. Chanyeol walks to where Baekhyun is, standing behind him. 

“What on earth is going on?” Baekhyun turns around to face the younger man. 

“This lady is accusing me of stealing these overpriced socks!” The woman gasps and Chanyeol shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“I’m sorry ma’am, but my friend isn’t a thief.” 

“Look in the bag! I know he put them in there!” Chanyeol sighs, all he wants to do is go home. There’s a crowd of people looking and Chanyeol hurries to grab the bag from Baekhyun’s hand. He looks in the bag to only see the candles he bought from earlier and nothing else.

“There’s no socks in here. Baek, let’s go. I don’t have time for this bullshit.” He hands the bag back to him, ripping the pair of socks out of his hand, throwing them in the pile so he can drag him away from the stall. 

“But I wanted those socks!” 

“We can go to the dollar store and find the same ones.” Chanyeol is irritated and he knows it shows by the way he pushes through the crowd not caring who he runs into. 

  
  


The whole way home is silent and Baekhyun thinks about how he didn’t even get everything from his list. He knew he should’ve just gone by himself but he was trying to get back on Chanyeol’s good side and it’s obviously not working. Chanyeol says nothing as he parks in front of his house, getting out without another word. Baekhyun hurriedly follows him, not wanting to be locked out because his key is sitting upstairs on his dresser. Chanyeol is gone by the time he gets in the house so he just takes his shoes off, putting them on the rack before moving to the front room to set everything down on the table. He grabs the candle he bought for his own room and moves to head upstairs. He has never hated stairs more until he came to live with the man. 

He finds Chanyeol in his closet, suit on the floor as he changed into a plain t-shirt and sweatpants. He doesn’t say anything but keeps walking to his room to put everything down and to change his own clothes. 

“I’m going to the store really fast, do you want anything?” Baekhyun spins around facing the man who’s standing in the doorway. 

“I really want Chipotle, but that’s it.” That’s not necessarily at the store but Chanyeol nods his head anyway and Baekhyun watches him leave. It’s dark out but it's only six thirty. He changes quickly, throwing on a hoodie and shorts, making his way back downstairs. He figures he can start on the puzzle since he really doesn’t have anything else to do. 

He only gets the corner of the puzzle finished by the time Chanyeol gets back with his food. Chanyeol joins him after he puts away the groceries, sitting next to him back against the couch. 

“I didn’t know exactly what you wanted so I got you a bowl with everything in it.” 

“That’s fine, I’ll eat it still.” Chanyeol takes over the puzzle while Baekhyun eats his food. It’s silent and Baekhyun just watches as he puts the puzzle together. 

“I feel like I keep apologizing to you, but sorry for what happened at the Christmas market.”

“It wasn’t your fault, she was just accusing you for no reason.” Chanyeol says, fixing the pieces so they fit together. 

Baekhyun hums, “What have you been doing for the past three months?” 

“Just working, hanging out with Jongdae, you know the usual.” 

“You really don’t do anything for fun?” 

“Fun is Jongdae’s thing not mine. If you’re looking for fun he’s definitely your guy.” 

Baekhyun finishes chewing before speaking again, “I’d rather hang out with you though.” 

Chanyeol turns his head to the right, only to find Baekhyun smiling at him. 

“What do you have a crush on me or something?” 

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you that!” 

“You didn’t deny it!” Baekhyun sets down his bowl, turning to face the man sitting next to him.

“Chanyeol, I do not have a crush on you.” 

“Okay, I believe you.” Chanyeol laughs, turning back to the puzzle. 

  
  
  


A few days after Christmas, Jongdae is having a get together at his house. Baekhyun barely knows anyone but he doesn’t mind it. He puts his presents underneath Jongdae’s Christmas tree for later on. He had told them to save any presents and to bring them to his house for one big Christmas party. Chanyeol was roped into conversation as soon as he stepped foot into the apartment. He never knew they knew so many people but he figures they’re all work friends. It feels like the realtor conference but a lot more upbeat. He makes his way to the kitchen to grab a drink. He’s been to Jongdae’s house before but it looks and feels different with a group of people in it. 

He pours himself a glass of the punch, wandering off to the island to take up the empty seat. The chair next to him swivels and a man turns to look at him. 

“Don’t believe I’ve seen you at Jongdae’s parties before. I’m John.” 

“I’m Baekhyun, one of Jongdae’s friends from college.” 

Baekhyun realizes halfway through the conversation, the man sitting next to him is not interesting at all. He sits and nods his head as he only talks about himself and his stupid yacht. Baekhyun is not one for boats so he really doesn’t care about that. He sips his drink and he hopes Jongdae spiked it because he would rather be anywhere else right now. 

“I’m sorry, I’m gonna go to the bathroom right quick.” Baekhyun hops down from the stool and walks away. He finds Jongdae by the Christmas tree reorganizing the lights. 

“Hey Dae, did you spike the punch?” Jongdae turns to look at him, offended. 

“I would never do such a thing!” Baekhyun stares at him for a little bit longer and then he starts to laugh. 

“Of course, I did. You think I want everyone to be sober? They all know about it, you guys arrived a little late but I promise they do. Sehun even saw me pour it in.” 

“I don’t know who that is but I believe you, no worries.”

For the rest of the night Baekhyun, chats away with random people, talking about any and everything. Mostly everyone is Jongdae’s neighbors or people he has met through the realtor world. Baekhyun laughs at some corny joke the man standing in front of him has told. He doesn’t remember his name but he knows he needs to get away. Baekhyun started a drinking game with himself an hour ago. Drink every time an uninteresting man tries to hit on you. He’s on his fourth cup and he’s definitely feeling it now. Baekhyun scans the apartment and finds Chanyeol sitting on the couch, talking to some woman. 

He hasn’t seen Chanyeol since they got here. He walks away from the man he was talking to mid conversation to make his way over to Chanyeol. Him and the lady aren’t sitting that close but he definitely wouldn’t be able to sit in between them. 

“Sorry to interrupt, is this seat taken?” Before Chanyeol can even answer, Baekhyun plops himself down in his lap, careful not to spill his drink. 

“Baekhyun, this is Samantha. Samantha this is Baekhyun.” 

“Hi, lovely to meet you! Continue your conversation. I'm not even here, he’s just my ride home and I don’t want to lose him.” She laughs at him and Baekhyun pulls out his phone to look at his messages. 

There’s so many messages in his family group chat so he reads them all, catching up on what he missed for the night. His sister just got another dog and his brother made it back home to California, safe and sound. He texts them back just to let them know he’s alive when Chanyeol wraps around his stomach, pulling him to sit back against his chest. 

The soft music that was playing throughout the apartment cuts off and Jongdae’s voice fills the apartment. 

“Alright, everyone. Gather in the living room, it is time for presents. Sehun, come help me pass these out.” Baekhyun knows there are more people than presents, so they should be down fairly quickly. 

Sehun hands Baekhyun and Chanyeol a box each and Samantha gets two. Baekhyun tells her she’s lucky and she playfully slaps his shoulder. 

“I’m guessing my present is from you?” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun nods his head. He’s so warm and honestly he’s getting a bit sleepy from all the drinking he did. 

Baekhyun doesn’t wait for Jongdae to get finished passing out everything and he opens his present, taking off the lid, finding the box full of fluffy socks like the ones at the Christmas market. 

“I know you were upset about those socks so I had to buy you some more.” 

“Thank you, that’s so sweet!” Baekhyun says, turning his head slightly and he realizes how close he is. Chanyeol doesn’t flinch at the closeness he just smiles at him. 

“Do you want to open mine?” Chanyeol hands him his present and of course he already knows what it is since he’s the one who bought it for him. Baekhyun sits the box in his lap and Chanyeol sits up a little to see over his shoulder, arm still wrapped around his front. 

Baekhyun opens the box, “What the fuck did you do?” Samantha gasps as she looks over at his present. 

“Chanyeol, you’re getting spoiled.” 

“Baekhyun, please tell me you didn’t spend your money on what I think this is.” 

“Okay, I did not spend my money on this present.” 

Chanyeol takes the briefcase out of the box. “You bought me a Gucci briefcase?” He stares at it in amazement, it’s so crisp he’s honestly afraid to touch it. 

“I saw it when I went to go get my wallet fixed and thought ‘Chanyeol would love this’. So Merry Christmas.” 

Samantha whistles, “Chanyeol, you didn’t tell me you had a rich boyfriend.” 

“He wishes I was his boyfriend, we’re just friends.” Samantha doesn’t seem to buy it, it’s clear on her face but she smiles and nods her head anyway. 

Chanyeol chuckles and it rumbles throughout Baekhyun, “You want him Samantha?” 

“I don’t think my husband is into that. Idiot.” The two laugh and Chanyeol places the bag back in the box, carefully so he doesn’t mess it up. 

“Thank you Baek, I really appreciate your gift. I will use it until fall apart so you get your money’s worth.” 

“You’re welcome.”

“Alright,” Jongdae starts and everyone looks at him as he stands next to the tree. 

“Please throw out your wrapping paper, do not leave it on the floor. If you do, you will not be invited next year! Thank you and enjoy the rest of your night.” The music cuts back on and the sound of wrapping paper tearing fills the room. 

  
  


“Are you ready to go?” Chanyeol asks lowly, only for him to hear. Baekhyun nods his head but he doesn’t move. 

“It was lovely to see you again Samantha. We’re going to head out, but I’ll see you next time!” 

“Alright bye Chanyeol and Baekhyun it was lovely to meet you.” Baekhyun finally stands up and leans over to give her a hug just because he’s in the mood to do so. 

They run into Jongdae on the way out and he tells them to make dinner plans for the three of them next weekend. Chanyeol grabs both of their jackets and opens the door, leading them into the hallway of the building. Thankfully he lives on the first floor, just at the end of the hall. 

  
  


Baekhyun falls asleep in the car on the way home, only waking up when Chanyeol shakes him awake. Chanyeol unlocks the front door for both of them and they slowly trudge up the stairs. 

“Are you sleeping in my room tonight?” Baekhyun is wide awake at the question being asked. 

“No, I’m good.”

“You sure? I know how you get when you get drunk, and you had a lot to drink tonight.” 

“Yeah, I promise I’m good but thanks though!” Chanyeol leaves him in the hallway and enters his room, shutting the door behind him. Baekhyun opens the closet looking for some pajamas so he can shower and go to sleep. He feels so tired he really just wants to get into bed.

Baekhyun ends up falling asleep in the shower twice. He eventually gets out, heading to bed once he gets dressed. He gets under the covers, falling back to sleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. 

  
  


Chanyeol sleeps through the night, only waking up when his alarm goes off at eight. He feels too hot and he laughs while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Baekhyun is laying on top of him, head tucked into his neck, sleeping soundly. Chanyeol uses his free arm to turn off his alarm, laying there for a few minutes. He pinches the man's sides and he knows he hates it. 

“Ow, why would you do that?” Baekhyun whines, still half asleep. 

“Because you’re on top of me after you told me you didn’t want to sleep in my bed, now get up!” Baekhyun slowly rolls over, face into the pillow, going back to sleep. 

Chanyeol gets ready for work, taking another shower before he puts on his usual work clothes. Baekhyun is still sleeping so he walks out in just his towel, heading out to his closet. He opts for some dress pants and a sweater because he has no showings today and he would be comfortable in his office. He hears his phone ringing so he hurries back to his room to answer it. 

“Hello?” 

“Chanyeol…” 

“Oh my goodness you sound terrible, Jongdae!” 

“I know,” The man sneezes on the other line.

“I literally got sick overnight. I don’t know who got me sick this fast but when I catch them, I swear-“ He goes into a coughing fit. 

“Alright, don't rile yourself up, let me know when you get better, I’ll come visit you then.”

“Wow, I love it when you take care of me.” He says sarcastically. 

“Bye Jongdae.” Chanyeol rolls his eyes and hangs up the phone. 

Chanyeol goes back to his closet, getting undressed, changing into sweatpants leaving his shirt off. He gets back into bed because he really wants to go back to sleep. Chanyeol could sleep in everyday if he wanted to but he forces himself to wake up every time he hears the obnoxious alarm going off in the morning. 

As soon as he gets situated, Baekhyun rolls back over, back into the same spot he was in before. 

“Why do you not have a shirt on?” He mumbles into his neck. 

“Baek, you're literally a furnace, I’m not wearing clothes that will just make me hotter.” 

“Shhh no more talking, back to sleep and I’ll make you whatever you want to eat as an apology.” Chanyeol shakes his head and sighs, letting sleep take over him once again. 

  
  


Baekhyun wakes up two hours later, Chanyeol still sleeping underneath him. If he does take five minutes out of his day to stare at his friend, nobody needs to know. Baekhyun quietly leaves the room, making his way all the way downstairs until he reaches the kitchen. He stands there and realizes he really doesn’t want to cook anything and has to clean up when everything is done. He doesn’t hesitate to open his phone and order something from iHOP because he knows it’s open and Chanyeol will eat anything. He orders what seems to be like two much food. He waits a full hour in the kitchen waiting for their food to be delivered because Baekhyun was not going outside to get it. He knows how to drive, he just chooses not to. He closes the front door quietly, walking back downstairs to the kitchen to get everything ready. 

He doesn’t know when Chanyeol will wake up, so he eats alone thinking about his New Years plans. He had told his mom he would be coming back home but he’s not so sure anymore. He likes being around Chanyeol and he loves his siblings but there’s only so much of them he can take. He takes a piece of bacon chewing it slowly as he gets up to walk back upstairs, to wake the man up. He hears a phone ringing when he gets to the top of the stairs. 

“Hi mom.” Chanyeol groans out. Baekhyun stands in the doorway, the piece of bacon still in his hands. His plan to wake the man up with it has failed. Chanyeol is on his back, arm thrown over his face, listening to whatever his mom has to say. Baekhyun just stares at the man in bed, watching his chest rise and fall with every breath. He must feel him staring because soon enough he’s raising his head up, looking directly at him and waves him over with a finger. Baekhyun smiles before moving to his side of the bed. 

“No mom, I didn’t forget about coming over today.” He says, taking the bacon out of his hand, as he sits on the bed. 

“You didn’t cook, did you?” Baekhyun looks up from the man’s chest and shrugs. 

“Mom, I’m talking to Baekhyun.” 

Chanyeol rolls his eyes, “Yes, we’ll both be over later. Okay, love you too bye!” 

“It’s from iHOP, I didn’t feel like cooking.” Baekhyun says, playing with the comforter. 

“That’s okay. Uh, we’re going to my moms so get dressed!” 

Baekhyun stands from the bed making his way to his own room, “Aye aye, captain!” 

  
  
  


They don’t make it to his mother’s house for another two hours mainly because Chanyeol had to do a little bit of work. Baekhyun didn’t care when they arrived, he had nothing planned until tomorrow night. He just sat in the office with Chanyeol and watched him as he worked, only speaking when he was finally done and it was time to go. The car ride is a short one and he only recognizes where they’re heading because of the Rockefeller Center that’s crowded like it always is this time of year. Chanyeol makes sure he parks on the right of the street because he really isn’t in the mood for a ticket. Baekhyun follows his friend across the street into an apartment building. He doesn’t have time to look around as Chanyeol is already at the elevator, hurrying inside when the doors open up. They ride up to the fifth floor, turning right as they get off the elevator, stopping at the first door they see. Chanyeol already has his keys out but the door is already opening before he can even get the key in good. 

“Baekhyun, I missed you! Oh, look at you, you’re glowing!” Mrs. Park says after pushing Chanyeol inside to make her way to Baekhyun, engulfing him in a tight hug. Baekhyun laughs and squeezes her back. 

“Hi mom, I missed you too!” Chanyeol shakes his head walking into the kitchen stealing some cookies, sitting at one of the barstools at the island. 

“Chanyeol, you just missed your father. He got called into work!” He hums in response because now she remembers he’s the one who's actually her son. 

Baekhyun takes a seat next to him, snatching a cookie out of his hand. 

“Oh stay here, let me go grab your presents!” The two are left alone, as she wanders down a hallway. 

“So where’s the infamous return closet of hers?” Baekhyun has always heard about said closet but never actually seen it. 

“The closet was at our house. Now it’s more of a return room, you could go shopping in there. I don’t know which room it is, she’s always changing her rooms around.” Chanyeol tells him, before eating the last cookie. 

His mom comes back with two boxes in her hand, setting them down on the counter before pushing them in front of the two boys. 

“I tried to keep up with the trends, so I hope this is enough for you too!” Chanyeol opens his first, ripping the wrapping paper off, placing it into his mother’s hands once he’s finished. 

“Holy shit!” His mother smacks his hand. 

“Sorry! I was going to order one for myself. How’d you know?” He’s staring at the iPad in amazement because he really was going to buy it for himself after the new year. He’s really glad she bought him the pen and a case because he wasn’t going to until Jongdae mentioned that he should just buy it together to get it out the way.

“Your dad suggested I should get it so I guess you can thank him.” Baekhyun opens his gift also handing Mrs. Park the wrapping paper so she can throw it out. He opens the box to a single piece of paper sitting on top of tissue paper. Baekhyun looks at her confused. 

“Read it!” She urges. Baekhyun looks down at the paper, reading it slowly taking in every word. 

“YOU DIDN’T?!?” He jumps down from the barstool, running around the island to hug Chanyeol’s mother. So many thank you’s spill out of his mouth in a matter of seconds. Chanyeol picks up the paper to read it for himself because he has no clue what he could’ve gotten. 

“An Origin Neuron gaming system?” Chanyeol questions. 

“I remember him talking about it a few years ago. It should arrive at Chanyeol’s before the new year.” Baekhyun is still hugging Mrs. Park and Chanyeol watches as they rock back and forth. 

“Seriously, thank you so much! Whatever you want for Mother’s Day just let me know and I'll buy it!” He says, finally letting go to walk back to his seat. 

“Oh that also reminds me. Before you sit Baekhyun I still have your… you know,  _ other  _ presents if you wanted them. There’s nothing too fancy, I promise.” Baekhyun spins back around and Chanyeol watches, waiting for any other emotion to appear on his face but instead he’s still smiling big. 

“Is it in the infamous return room?” Baekhyun asks, looping his arm through Mrs. Park’s as they walk down the hallway. Chanyeol stays in the kitchen and lets them do their thing. He looks back at the piece of paper in his hand. His mother definitely showed him up this Christmas, fluffy socks compared to a gaming system is nothing. Now, Chanyeol isn’t cheap. He will spend money when necessary but he really didn’t know what else to get the man. He sighs, actually unboxing his iPad so he can set it up. He wonders what she got Jongdae. He’ll have to bring him over when he’s feeling better or knowing his mom, she probably already had it sent to Jongdae’s house. 

He’s halfway done setting up his iPad when they return. Chanyeol had moved to the living room and he watches as Baekhyun carries in a box while his mom carries in the other one. 

“She got me a blender, a bunch of wine and a robe.” He says excitedly, sitting down right next to him. 

Chanyeol smiles, “Now I can make my morning smoothie before work!” 

“Sure, Chanyeol you can use it too thanks for asking.” He says sarcastically. 

His mom puts the wine and robe down on the table, sitting in the chair across from them. 

“So what are you guys doing for New Years?” She asks. 

“Jongdae was throwing a party but he got sick, so I’ll probably just stay in this year.” Chanyeol says still playing with the device in his lap. 

“Some friends of mine are throwing an all week party,” Baekhyun starts and he moves away from Chanyeol just a little before he says his next sentence. “Then, I’m going home to actually celebrate with my family.” 

“How lovely! Hope I don’t need to remind you to be safe and no driving, no matter what if you’re drinking!” Mrs. Park gets up to get them some drinks as she’s feeling parched herself. 

Baekhyun doesn’t turn his head but he knows Chanyeol is looking at him. 

“You’re leaving again?” He asks.

“Yeah, New Years Eve.” 

Chanyeol nods his head, he had a feeling the man wouldn’t stay long but he had some hope. His mom comes back in with a tray, glasses of water for the three of them filled halfway, so she wouldn’t spill on her trip back to the living room. Baekhyun reaches for a glass as soon as the tray is on the table. Chanyeol is taking this surprisingly well so maybe he should’ve just told him instead of being afraid of the same thing that happened in Seoul was going to happen again. 

“Want me to drive you to the airport?” Baekhyun chokes on his water. He’s taking this too well for him. 

He hits his chest before speaking, “You  _ want  _ to drive me to the airport?” Chanyeol looks at him up and down like he’s the crazy one. 

“Sure, I like driving to the airport.” Baekhyun frowns at that, taking another sip of his water.

“Well, thank you. My flight is at three.” Mrs. Park watches from her seat and shakes her head but says nothing at all. It takes everything in her to not hit Chanyeol upside the head. 

  
  
  


Baekhyun decides he’ll join his friends a day early in partying, after sitting in his room watching as his friends made plans for tonight. He and Chanyeol went their separate ways when they got home but Baekhyun knows he’s in his office. He hops off the bed, making his way out the room to the closet that’s in the hallway. Everything he first brought here is still in the suitcase or hanging up in the closet. He shifts through the clothes looking for something to wear quickly because he only has an hour until it’s time to meet with everyone. He figures he should go simple so he grabs a white button down and some leather pants, setting them aside as he puts everything back the way it was. He’s never one to be messy in someone else’s house and he’s not about to start now. He changes his clothes and brushes his teeth again for good measure. 

“I’m leaving!” Chanyeol glances at the doorway, looks back at his screen and then back at the doorway. He looks Baekhyun up and down with a blank look on his face before he goes back to typing. 

“Where to?” 

“A club with friends.” 

“You got your key?” Baekhyun nods but then remembers Chanyeols isn’t exactly looking in his direction. 

“Yeah, it’s in my wallet. Don’t wait up!” He yells, walking down the stairs. 

“Have fun!” Chanyeol shouts and Baekhyun scoffs quietly. 

  
  


And that’s how the rest of the week goes. Baekhyun goes out every night, sometimes he comes home and sometimes he doesn’t. Chanyeol doesn’t ask anymore questions than he should because it’s really none of his business and he doesn’t want to know any more than he should anyway. Baekhyun can’t say he’s not irritated with the way Chanyeol is acting. He doesn’t know why he’s irritated but he is and it only makes him want to drink more. Baekhyun enjoys the nights while he can because he knows he won’t be doing this again for a while. He’s not dumb enough to bring someone back home because that’s just disrespectful and Baekhyun knows he can be loud. He comes home early in the morning, sleeping through the day only to wake up sometime in the afternoon, eating something quick before he’s leaving for the night again. 

“Did you follow up with the Collins after they moved in?” Chanyeol asks Jongdae. He’s still sick but they gotta get some work done. The two have been working from home until Jongdae is feeling like himself again. They’re on facetime, about to end their day just going over a few details before clocking out. 

“Yeah, they said they chipped a wall, moving the sofa into the house.” Chanyeol groans. 

“Don’t worry, they already fixed it and they sent me a picture of it and you really can’t even tell the damage was there in the first place.” Jongdae coughs. 

“Do people not know to buy those cushion thingies when they’re moving furniture?” 

“Cushion thingies?” Jongdae is confused and Chanyeol goes to explain it when a voice echoes throughout his house. 

“I’m home!” Baekhyun yells, walking up the stairs. 

“Baek, back at three in the afternoon. Must’ve been some night, huh?” Chanyeol hums, reviewing some documents. 

Baekhyun walks into his office, still in last night's clothes, but he doesn’t look like he’s been drinking for several days straight. 

“Hello, you two.” 

“Hi Baekhyun, I miss you!” 

“Hi Dae, I miss you too. If you weren’t sick, I’d invite you out with me!” Baekhyun pouts, leaning into Chanyeol’s personal space, to look at the screen. Chanyeol is used to Baekhyun being in his space even though he knows Chanyeol doesn’t like people in his bubble. He’s expecting him to smell like alcohol but the man really doesn’t smell like anything. He takes a quick glance at his outfit before looking back at the screen. A classic outfit of his, Chanyeol thinks. Black jeans and a blue satin button up that’s tucked in neatly in the front of his pants. If Chanyeol hadn’t been friends with him he would’ve thought he was just about to head out for the day. 

“We’ll go out when I get better, I promise!” 

“Better hope I’m here!” He says, walking away towards the stairs, most likely heading upstairs to his room.

“What did he mean by that?” Jongdae asks, sending Chanyeol the pictures of the damaged wall and now fixed wall they were talking about earlier. 

“He’s going home again.” He states, saving the emails into the Collins’ folder. 

“Aw man, I thought he would've been staying for a while.” 

“You and me both.” Chanyeol mumbles. 

“Alright, I’m taking my medicine and I’m going to sleep. If you need me, don’t need me!” Jongdae blows a kiss and hangs up. He’s used to his antics by now so he doesn’t even bother saying anything. He finishes up his last email before logging off, cleaning off his desk before leaving his office. As he walks out, Baekhyun is coming down the stairs, now in shorts and a hoodie. Chanyeol walks down the stairs and he figures the other man is in the living room as he doesn’t follow him all the way downstairs. He’s only coming to the kitchen for snacks since he still has some time to go until it's time for dinner. He grabs a bag of chips, a sub and some water before making his way back upstairs. He walks into the living room to see Baekhyun sprawled out on the couch so he takes a seat on the other couch, dragging the table closer to him so he can set everything down within arms length. He watches as Baekhyun flicks through the channels, finally landing on Mission Impossible. He doesn’t know which one it is but he watches it anyway eating his sub. 

So they sit like that for about thirty minutes until Baekhyun starts fidgeting. Baekhyun sits up and stares at Chanyeol, watching him while he watches the movie. He crosses his arms and wonders why the man across from hasn’t asked him a single question. He sinks further into the couch, shorts riding up as he does so, waiting for him to look back at him. Chanyeol hasn’t hasn't moved from the tv and it angers him for some reason. Chanyeol has an arm thrown on the back of the couch, one leg under the other. 

“I’m going out again, tonight.” He says randomly. 

“As long as you’re on time for your flight, you can do whatever you want.” The man says after some time. Baekhyun rolls his eyes, grabbing the remote as he stands to walk over to the other couch. He moves the man's leg so both his feet are on the floor, as he sits down leaning back into the man’s side. Chanyeol sighs and he’s two seconds away from pushing him on the floor. 

“Do you have an agenda that involves me throwing you on the floor?” He asks. 

“Sounds hot but no not really.” Baekhyun replies and the younger man ignores what he said. 

“You know, how I feel about my personal space.” Baekhyun says nothing, eyes on the tv, suddenly interested as Tom Cruise scales a glass building. 

“Hey, do you want to come out with me tonight?” He asks just because he can. 

“That’s a hard no. I actually want to go to sleep.” Baekhyun shrugs it was worth a shot even though he knew he was going to say no. Jongdae is the partying type between the two of them and he really wishes he wasn’t sick. He feels as though his friend should really get out more, do something other than sit in the house all day. Actually he doesn’t know if he does anything else since he really hasn’t been home and if he is home he’s sleeping. He never sees him with anyone else other than Jongdae and it gets him thinking. 

“How come you don’t have a girlfriend?” He questions. 

Chanyeol scoffs, “Don’t need one.” 

“Yeah but like why?” Baekhyun pushes. 

“I don’t want to be bothered, never have.” He pushes Baekhyun to sit up so he can go back to his original position. He can feel his body cooling down now that Baekhyun isn’t directly on him. 

Baekhyun knows it’s inappropriate but he has to ask because now he’s curious. “Do you even have sex?” 

Chanyeol finally looks away from the tv, looking at Baekhyun with a smile on his face. 

“I’m celibate.”He says seriously making a cross, you know, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Baekhyun can’t tell if he’s joking or not. 

“Yes, I do. If you really needed to know.” Yeah, he does because he was concerned for a minute there. He didn’t know who he was going to call if he wasn’t joking but he was definitely going to call someone. 

“When?” It’s really none of Baekhyun’s business but Chanyeol isn’t the type to keep secrets anyway. 

“Do you want their phone number and address too?” Chanyeol looks at him, both eyebrows raised. Baekhyun is facing him now, sitting criss-cross on the couch. 

“One of Jongdae’s parties. What about you? Oh let me guess. Last night or the day before?” 

Baekhyun’s jaw drops because what the fuck. How did this come back to him? He narrows his eyes at the man in front of him. The movie is irrelevant to them now, nothing but background noise. 

“Well..which one is it?” Baekhyun asks. 

Baekhyun must think Chanyeol is an idiot. “The day before. You came in with a limp and I must say you didn’t look that good but today you were too clean.” Baekhyun let’s the shock show on his face because damn he got him good. 

“I don’t like this game anymore.” The shorter man stands up to leave but Chanyeol sweeps his leg out, pushing him back on the couch. 

“Now that’s not fair is it?” If Baekhyun was a hormonal teenager he probably would’ve come in his pants with the way Chanyeol is looking at him right now. Baekhyun is closer than he would like to be right now. Any other time he would love to be in the man’s space but right now he wants to jump out the window. He’s wanted the man’s attention and now that he finally has it he doesn’t want it anymore. 

“Was he any good? Must’ve been if you were limping, no?” Chanyeol asks, hand that’s on the back of the couch, moving to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. Baekhyun visibly shivers and it makes Chanyeol laugh. 

“Yeah, he was good.” Baekhyun says, nodding his head more than he should. 

“How many fingers?” Baekhyun wants to tap out so badly, realizing he can’t take the heat and he’s ready to get out of the metaphorical kitchen. 

“Two.” Chanyeol let’s his hand drop from his hair, putting it in his own lap. The man’s phone rings and Chanyeol pulls it out of his pocket to answer it. 

“Hey Dave, what’s up?” His eyes are on Baekhyun and he still gets up to make a run for the door. He doesn’t make it anywhere as the man’s leg stretches out again, it’s in his lap this time, making sure he doesn’t go anywhere. 

“Yeah, I sold that condo a few years ago. I’ll send everything you need by the end of the week. Alright, see you soon!” He drags his legs over the older man's lap, the heel of his foot just barely touching his dick. 

“It only took two, huh? You were really begging for it then.” Baekhyun is dizzy from this conversation. Chanyeol sets his foot back on the ground and Baekhyun feels like he can breathe again. 

“You okay there?” Chanyeol asks. One might think he’s actually concerned but the smirk slowly forming on his face tells a different story. 

“I’m fine. Perfectly splendid.” He wheezes out. 

“You sure? You looked like you were about to come in your pants.” Chanyeol’s eyes land on his pants before looking him in the eye again. 

“I can hold out longer than that.” 

“Baby, you shivered the moment I laid a hand on you.” The taller man retorts. The pet name slips out but Baekhyun could really care less about what name Chanyeol calls him at the moment. 

“God, you’re really the worst.” Baekhyun gets up, very very grateful Chanyeol doesn’t stop him this time as he makes his way upstairs to the bathroom. 

Chanyeol smiles to himself, picking up the remote to change the channel. That’s where he stays until it’s dinner time. It’s pitch black outside for it only to be eight and he really has a love hate relationship with daylight savings. He grabs the food from the UberEats driver before hurrying back into the house. He locks the door chewing on a fry and when he turns around Baekhyun is coming down the stairs, not dressed like he’s ready to go out. Chanyeol walks up to his room without another word, eating his fries along the way. He normally doesn’t eat in his own room but he feels like it today. He grabs his iPad off the dresser, throwing it onto the bed before getting onto it himself, making himself comfortable. 

He’s minding his business, eating his McDonald's, sending emails, when he hears his name. He stops chewing to make sure he’s not going crazy. He hears Baekhyun’s low voice on the phone with someone and he assumes he’s either in his room or downstairs in the living room. He goes back to chewing, scrolling through his inbox when he hears his name again. He’s too lazy and too comfortable to go eavesdrop on the conversation, instead he sips his drink loudly. Chanyeol goes back to his work uninterrupted for the next hour. 

  
  


He’s sending a list of things to Jongdae when he feels his bed dip. 

“How do you feel about spending New Years in Connecticut?” Baekhyun asks, getting under the covers. 

“Are you asking me or are you telling me I should come with you?” 

Baekhyun ignores him, “If you do feel like spending it there then maybe I’ll stay in New York.” 

“Is that a bribe?” Chanyeol locks his iPad, setting it on the nightstand. 

“So is that a yes or a no?” Chanyeol takes a moment to think about the question. It would literally be his first time ever going to visit the man’s house. He knows nothing about Connecticut but he’s sure it’s already snowing up there. He does like Baekhyun’s family, they love to play games until the wee hours of the morning. Competitive is one word to describe the family. Maybe he’ll get to learn more about the man in bed with him because even though they’ve been friends for years, the past few months have been very telling. 

“Are you asking me or are you telling me I should come with you?” He repeats the question and he knows Baekhyun heard him this time. 

“I’m asking you.” 

Chanyeol gets off the bed to throw his food wrappers in the trash and to turn off the light. “Then yes, I’ll go with you.” 

“I thought you were going out tonight?”

“I never said I was going out.” Chanyeol stops himself from getting back into bed, looking at Baekhyun like he’s crazy. 

“You literally sat on the couch and told me you were going out?” 

“Your proof?” 

“Uh, these big ass ears.” 

“That’s not a reliable source.” Baekhyun watches as he slips his shirt off, throwing it in the direction of the bathroom. 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Baek.” 

  
  


Baekhyun’s gaming system arrives just as they step outside to leave for the airport. He pushes it into a corner in the room near the entrance. He has no idea where Baekhyun is going to set it up but he doesn’t care where in all honesty. Chanyeol packs enough for however long he’s staying since his friend literally told him nothing. Baekhyun packs nothing, only bringing himself, his wallet and his phone. Chanyeol thinks they could’ve driven instead of flying because the flight is over in no time. He’s glad he bought new boots because his old ones wouldn’t have lasted two seconds in the snow. Baekhyun tells him it’s worse where he lives and Chayeol prays it really isn’t. Baekbeom picks them up from the airport and he honestly doesn’t remember the last time he saw the man’s brother. It was probably at graduation but that’s still a long time ago. It takes two full hours to get to Baekhyun's house from the airport. Chanyeol offered to drive since he did drive two hours just to get to the airport but Baekbeom said he was fine. 

Baekhyun lives in the bum fuck of nowhere but judging from the neighborhood Chanyeol knows a rich neighborhood when he sees one. They pull up to a blueish-green looking house, surrounded by massive trees. Driveway nicely shoveled as Baekhyun’s brother pulls into the driveway that leads to the garage. 

“Tell mom we’ll be over in a minute!” Baekhyun yells as his brother leaves the garage. He has no choice but to follow Baekhyun up the stairs as he gets out of the car, grabbing his duffel bag. He watches as Baekhyun sticks a key in the door, unlocking it using a bit of force to push the door open. 

“Welcome to my tiny space.” Baekhyun says as he toes off his shoes and Chanyeol follows him in doing the same. Chanyeol walks into the kitchen and it’s a decent size for it to be above a garage. It’s not even tiny in his opinion, and it’s basically a studio apartment. Baekhyun takes his duffel bag from him as he looks around. 

“Shower if you want to but just be done in thirty minutes. It’s almost nine and my mom will flip if things aren’t on schedule. Follow the candy canes to get to the house, the sliding door should be unlocked.” Baekhyun says, pulling a water bottle from the fridge before leaving again. Chanyeol just turns to pull out clothes from his duffel bag. 

Baekhyun makes sure to unlock the knob because he doesn’t have his keys with him. He jogs back down the stairs, leaving through the side door, following the candy canes up to the back porch. 

“Baekhyun! How are you? Where’s Chanyeol?” His mother asks, as soon as he steps in. 

“He’s showering now and I’m good.” He walks into the kitchen, kissing her cheek before taking a seat at the table. There’s a mix of Korean and American food on the table, it’s not much just take out food and bibimbap. He’s guessing his family already are judging from the half empty pizza box on the table and his mom is already washing dishes. He gets comfortable in his seat, grabbing a slice of pizza.

“How was Christmas?” 

“It was lovely! Jongdae threw a Christmas party.” He tells his mother, ripping his pizza into smaller bites. 

“Oh my other son, how is he doing?” She’s doing the dishes, back facing him. 

“He’s good, the same actually.” His mom hums in response and he goes to grab his bowl of bibimbap, when the sliding door opens and in walks Chanyeol. 

“I’m gonna go shower!” He grabs his bowl and heads off into the direction of his old room. 

“Chanyeol! Welcome to our home, I can’t believe this is the first time you’ve been here.” Mrs. Byun says, drying her hands on the towel before pulling him into a hug. 

“I’m glad to be here, thank you for inviting me.” 

“When you’re done eating come join us in the living room. We’re watching Dick Clark’s New Year's show like always.” She pats his shoulder, handing him a glass of champagne before making her way out of the kitchen. 

Chanyeol has no problem eating alone, so he sits down grabbing the only bowl of bibimbap on the table, mixing it before digging in. 

Chanyeol is almost done with his food when someone from the living room yells. 

“Whoever is in the kitchen, bring the rest of the champagne!” Chanyeol scoops out the last of the food in his bowl, putting it in the sink before grabbing the two bottles on the counter. He has no idea where he’s going but he follows the sound of the tv, passing another dining table walking further until he turns left into another room. 

“CHANYEOL!” The group shouts at the same time. He laughs and lets himself be hugged from everyone. He’s met Baekhyun’s family multiple times, given they’re all around the same age, they all hung out from time to time before everyone moved to different states. 

“We’re playing a drinking game. If everyone votes on the performance with the same rating, you don’t have to drink. If you’re the odd ball out you have to drink.” They make room for Chanyeol on the couch as they all move down on the sectional. He should’ve known they were playing a game, they always are. The first part of the show is about to go off but the second part will start right after. Chanyeol fills an empty glass, leaning back into the couch, sipping the champagne slowly. There’s arms coming from both sides of his neck, hands running down his chest. He knows it’s Baekhyun because no one else in their right mind would touch Chanyeol like this. 

“They got you to be a part of the drinking game already?” He whispers in his ear. Chanyeol nods his head, downing the entire glass when Baekhyun moves from behind the couch. He doesn’t go far, just sits down on the armrest of the couch, arm around Chanyeol as he leans into him. Chanyeol drinks three times during the game and Baekhyun drinks way too many times. He thinks he might be losing on purpose but there’s no way to find out for sure. Surprisingly no one is drunk, just tipsy and loud. So it seems like any other Byun family gathering. 

“I think we should kiss at midnight, don’t you think so?” Chanyeol slowly turns his head from the to look at the man sitting at his side. Baekhyun isn’t even looking at him for once, eyes on the performance that’s on tv. 

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Baekhyun.” It’s eleven forty five and Chanyeol honestly doesn’t think he'll make it through the last fifteen minutes of the show. 

“So no kiss? Got it!” Baekhyun gets up from the armrest of the couch, moving to sit next to his dad at the other end of the couch, far away from Chanyeol. Chanyeol stares blankly at the tv trying to figure out what exactly Baekhyun is trying to do. Somehow he thinks this all comes back to that damn Christmas party and he really doesn’t even want to think about that right now. If he knew one night was going to cause this much trouble in his life he definitely would’ve found someone else to hook up with that night but Baekhyun came to him first. Chanyeol goes to fill up another glass, only to stop himself because he realizes he needs to sober up if he has to be in the same room as Baekhyun when they go to sleep. 

He watches as Shawn Mendes does his performance on the tv and the family breaks off to use the bathroom as they get closer to the countdown. At one point four of them are off to use the bathroom and it’s just him and Baekhyun in the living room. Chanyeol gets up to leave as soon as Baekbeom and the man’s sister, Jihyun, come back into the room. 

“Alright, this isn’t working! He literally just shakes me off.” Baekhyun says as soon as Chanyeol leaves the room. 

“I told you he was a tough one!” Baekbeom says, downing the last of his champagne. 

“Yeah, but like Baekhyun is Baekhyun he should be able to get him.” Jihyun states and Baekhyun blows her a kiss. 

“Just corner him. Isn’t that how you usually trap your prey?” Baekhyun throws one of the pillows at his brother because he doesn’t prey on people, they always come to him. 

“Baek, those cushions cost me fifty dollars, please don’t throw them!” His mom tells him as she steps back into the room, his father in tow. 

“Sorry, Mom.” The pillow gets thrown back at him, missing his father and Baekhyun sets it back on the couch. Chanyeol walks back in, sitting back in his spot and he eyes the clock shown on the tv screen. It’s five minutes to midnight and now he’s all fidgety. He tunes everything out, eyes on a spot on the carpet. He wishes a blackhole would just open up so he can just jump in it. He doesn’t know what sort of game Baekhyun is playing with him but he knows for sure he doesn’t like it. He looks up at the tv again to find it’s eleven fifty-eight. Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun who’s already looking at him but having a full on conversation with his siblings. In all honesty, it’s just a New Years Kiss. If Baekhyun would’ve just kissed him at midnight it would be a different story. He knows Baekhyun wants to kiss him and it’s got his brain in white noise mode. He jumps when they all start to countdown. 

_ 10 _

Chanyeol gets up grabbing his glass and heads back into the kitchen. 

_ 9 _

Chanyeol’s at the sink rinsing out his glass. 

_ 8  _

“Chanyeol..” He turns to find Baekhyun standing way too close to him. 

_ 7  _

Baekhyun yelps as Chanyeol lifts him up, setting him on the counter, standing in between his legs with his hands on his thighs. Baekhyun likes where this is going but he won’t say it out loud. 

_ 6 _

“Is this what you really want?” He asks, eyes scanning over the other man’s face. 

_ 5 _

_ 4 _

“I’m sure.” He responds, placing his hands on Chanyeol’s shoulders. 

_ 3 _

Chanyeol moves his hands up from his thighs to his waist, pulling him closer. 

_ 2 _

_ 1  _

Neither of them is sure who leans in first. 

“Happy New Years!”

Baekhyun moans into the kiss, pulling Chanyeol closer to him. He pinches his waist causing him to gasp into the kiss and he feels his tongue meeting his. Chanyeol’s hands make their way under his shirt just as Baekhyun’s brother enters the kitchen. 

“I  _ really _ hate to interrupt but it’s time to clean up.” Baekbeom says leaning against the door frame. Baekhyun pulls back wiping his mouth before hiding his face in Chnayeol’s neck. He gets him down from the counter, pulling away from each other just as everyone walks into the kitchen, glasses in hand. 

“Happy New Years, you two!” 

They clean up the kitchen, well Chanyeol helps out the most. Baekhyun only put the rest of the dishes that were still on the table in the sink. After that he was putting on his jacket and boots, thinking they were just going to leave. 

They don’t leave for another thirty minutes and he ends up walking back and forth on the runner rug his mother placed in front of the sliding door. He knows the second he goes to take everything off Chanyeol will be ready to leave, it’s happened to him one too many times. 

“Alright, Goodnight!” Baekhyun lifts his head up to see everyone retreating out of the kitchen, his father dimming the lights on his way out. He pockets his phone and watches Chanyeol put on his shoes and jacket. 

“You ready?” Baekhyun is already outside, walking along the candy cane path that leads back to his room. Chanyeol shuts the sliding door behind him, jogging a little to catch up with the man in front of him. It's quiet as they walk up the garage stairs, Baekhyun taking his shoes off as he pushes the door to his room open. Chanyeol hurriedly follows behind him. His apartment is dark, the only light coming in is from the overhead garage light, shining through the kitchen window. 

Chanyeol closes the door, locking it, turning around to see Baekhyun standing in the middle of the kitchen unmoving. 

“Baekhyun, I think-“ 

“Whatever you’re going to say please don’t!” He takes his jacket off, throwing it onto the table before taking a few steps toward the other man. 

“It was just a kiss.” Chanyeol realizes he’s up against the door and Baekhyun is right in front of him. This scene feels familiar but just a tad different judging the atmosphere. 

“It’s not like I asked you to fuck me or anything.”

“I mean I could ask you that,” Baekhyun runs a hand down his chest, stopping at the waistband of his sweatpants. 

“To fuck me that is. But you would say no, wouldn’t you?” Baekhyun looks up from where his hand is placed and looks Chanyeol in the eye. He can tell she’s trying to keep it together but his heavy breathing gives him away. 

“Wouldn’t you?” He drops his hand, walking backwards out of the kitchen. He smiles when he sees Chanyeol take off his jacket, following him as he walks into the room. Chanyeol grabs his shirt before he can reach the bed. 

“Is this your way of saying yes?” He whispers. 

“You didn’t ask me anything.” Chanyeol states, walking away to the bathroom to do his nightly routine. 

Baekhyun stares at his back, watching him walk away. He has no idea why he’s having such a hard time trying to get this man into bed. He scoffs walking over to his suitcase to change into shorts, leaving his shirts on. He mumbles to himself while he changes his clothes. Chanyeol leaves the bathroom just as he’s entering it, bumping shoulders as they pass each other. 

Baekhyun takes his time brushing his teeth. He runs a hand through his hair as he looks at himself in the mirror. Maybe he should dye his hair. He doesn’t remember the last time he didn’t have brown hair. He spits and rinses his mouth out, putting his toothbrush back in the cup. Once he turns out the light, it becomes dark again. Chanyeol is on the left side which is closest to him so he gets in on that side. 

“Is this necessary?” Chanyeol groans as Baekhyun lays on top of him. 

“You know it. Where is your shirt?” 

“I took it off for this exact reason.” He explains. 

Chanyeol throws an arm around Baekhyun’s waist so he can stop moving. He doesn’t. 

“Baekhyun, I will kick you out of your own bed.” 

“Sorry.” He whispers, finally stilling. 

Baekhyun figures now is a good time to ask. They’ve been laying in silence for the past few minutes and he knows the other isn’t sleeping by the constant sighing. 

“What color should I dye my hair?” 

Chanyeol laughs, “Do you want a lighter or darker color?” 

Baekhyun takes a moment to think about it. “Lighter, I guess.” 

Baekhyun is suddenly on his back as Chanyeol flips them around. 

“Pink. You’d look pretty with pink hair.” 

His hands go under his shirt and Baekhyun moans softly at his touch. 

“You think I’m pretty?” 

“Not what I said, but yeah I do.” Chanyeol lifts his head up from the man’s chest. 

“Don’t you have something else to ask me?” 

Chanyeol sits back on his knees, hands leaving from under his shirt to rest on his thighs. 

“Do I really have to ask?” 

“Do you want me to show you the tea consent video?” Baekhyun laughs, that’s a good video to watch. 

“Do you have want to have sex?” 

“Yeah, now take your pants off.” Chanyeol says getting off the bed, heading into the bathroom. He hears a drawer open and close before Chanyeol reappears. 

“How did you…..” Baekhyun starts. 

Chanyeol is back on the bed, throwing the lube and condom next to him. 

“I swear I was looking for floss.” Baekhyun giggles, settling against the pillows before he pulls his shorts and boxers down, throwing them somewhere in his room. Chanyeol’s eyes move up and down his body before he grabs his thighs pushing them back toward his chest as he moves to lay down on his stomach. Baekhyun gasps as the younger man licks at his hole. He can tell he’s going to drag this out by the pace he sets so he moves his hips, pushing back against his tongue. Chanyeol lets him ride his face before pulling back. 

“God, you’re greedy.” He says, kissing his thigh. 

He goes to laugh but a moan comes out instead as Chanyeol takes his dick into his mouth while he sticks a finger into his hole. 

“Holy  _ shit _ !” 

He jun’s around him causing him to buck his hips up, Chanyeol lets him fuck his throat while he moves his finger in and out at the same pace. He pulls back before Baekhyun gets the chance to put his fingers in his hair. The only sound in the room is his harsh breathing as Chanyeol pulls off his cock, sitting up to grab the lube. Baekhyun watches as he opens the bottle, opening it, pouring it all over his fingers. Clean hand grabbing Baekhyun’s thigh.

“I’m falling asleep here please- oh my god,” He moans out as Chanyeol pushes two fingers into him, basically reading his mind. He’s thinking he may have poured a little too much so he pushes in a third finger, watching as Baekhyun takes him with no problem. 

“Seems like your hole has been busy these past few days..” 

“Jealous?” 

“Not really, no.” Baekhyun goes to respond but the words get caught in his throat as the man above him pushes in another finger. 

“Fuck, hold on,” He reaches down to grab Chanyeol’s wrist but he forgets what he was doing as the man works his fingers in and out at a rough pace. The squelch of the lube is loud but not louder than Baekhyun’s whines. 

“Shit, I-I’m gonna cum!” He whines as Chanyeol repeatedly hits his prostate. He pulls his fingers out, watching his chest rise and fall. Baekhyun wipes the tears from his eyes before pushing his hair back off his forehead. He feels Chanyeol move the bed so he opens his eyes just as the other man pulls down his sweatpants, dick finally free and Baekhyun moans at the sight. Chanyeol laughs as he steps out of his pants, reaching on the bed for the condom to put it on. 

“I’m going to have several wet dreams about this, just letting you know.” Baekhyun says as he moves more towards the middle of the bed. 

Chanyeol climbs back on the bed, hovering over him, positioning himself in between his legs. 

“Want you to tell me every single detail too, okay baby?” Chanyeol looks him in the eye as he speaks and all Baekhyun can do is nod his head. He pecks his lips before reaching in between them, grabbing his dick, lining it up with his hole. Baekhyun moans into his neck as he pushes in. He slowly pushes in until he bottoms out. 

Baekhyun wraps his legs around his waist, hands in Chanyeol’s hair, tugging a little. 

“Please fuck me. I’m r-ready please just fuck me.” He whispers. 

Chanyeol moves to pull out before thrusting back in. He moans when the hands in his hair tug a little bit harder. 

“Fuck, Baek!” 

He unhooks his legs from his waist pushing them towards his chest. 

“Fuck me harder,” 

Baekhyun hands moves to hold the sheets underneath him as Chanyeol starts a rough pace fucking into him. 

“Damn, you’re tight.” He lets his legs fall, hands coming to either side of his jaw. Baekhyun moans a little too loudly but he feels too good to care. Nobody can hear him anyway, the scream test proved that when they first moved in. 

“Baby, look at me” He says, cupping either side of his jaw still. He looks up at the man above men, vision slightly blurry. 

“Want you to remember this” He says, hitting his prostate head on. 

“Fuck, f-fuck!” Baekhyun squeezes his legs together, eyes closing and Chanyeol slows down, causing him to whine. 

“Eyes on me and open your legs.” 

Baekhyun does as he’s told because he’s so close and he needs to come. Chanyeol doesn’t waste any more time, clasping his hands together, pulling him back in his cock with every thrust. He watches as Baekhyun’s eyes never leave his face. 

“Oh my god, I’m gonna cum” Baekhyun feels hot all over and feels his stomach tighten up, eye contact becoming too much for him. He whines as he comes all over his shirt, tears falling from his eyes as he closes them. He takes two deep breaths before Chanyeol is pounding into him again. 

“Chanyeol…” He moans, hand on the man’s stomach trying to push him away because he’s way too sensitive. He’s hitting his prostate, Baekhyun moving up the bed as he thrusts in and out. Chanyeol grabs his hips to keep him in place. 

“Fuck, r-right there,” Chanyeol groans, fucking into him a few more times before he spills into the condom, watching as Baekhyun shakes from his second orgasm. 

They both breathe heavily, air in the room becoming hot. Chanyeol slowly pulls out of Baekhyun, taking off the condom. Baekhyun watches as he walks into the bathroom before closing his eyes. The younger man cleans them both up before he lays down next to Baekhyun who is seconds away from falling asleep. 

“Can you call me baby from now on?” Baekhyun asks, rolling onto his side. 

“Anything for you, baby.” Chanyeol kisses his shoulder, moving closer until there is no space in between them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyo! welcome back to this fic! i don't have much to say....this chapter only took so long bc i was procrastinating with the smut scene like always. I literally cannot write a smut scene without laughing. yes, i am childish.....it's currently 5 am and my eyes are TIRED. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter and if you didn't that's okay too! there's only two chapters left for this fic and yes those two people will be making appearances again so everyone play nice! (also chanyeol will ask his mother why she gave baekhyun the meatloaf recipe in ch3 i didn't forget about it lol)
> 
> Merry Christmas and Happy New Years! Stay safe and stay home, wear a mask if you do go out! if you get vaccinated let me know how that process goes if it's available to you, i'm curious about the whole thing lmfao 
> 
> :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heads up there is a lot of dialogue because you know people have feelings and baekhyun is an idiot and should not be given alcohol. also yes we still hate jongin and kyungsoo in this fic

It happens as soon as they land back in New York. They’re walking to the car when Baekhyun’s phone rings. He knows not many people have his new number so it can only be a couple of people. He pulls his phone out of his pocket looking at the screen and immediately declines the call. That’s how it's been going for the past two weeks. 

Chanyeol didn’t say anything, simply thinking it was probably a spam call asking about a vehicle warranty because he gets those all the time. One day while they were having dinner Baekhyun had asked him what was the one song he wouldn’t mind listening to over and over again. He chose Rock Your Body by Justin Timberlake. That’s what's been filling his house for the past two weeks. Sometimes his phone is on vibrate and sometimes it’s not. If he’s in his office he can hear it, if he’s showering he hears it. When he wakes up in the morning he hears it. Chanyeol is glad he chose a song he didn’t mind hearing all the time. He finds himself humming it when he’s in his office or when he’s watching tv. One night he was waiting for Baekhyun to come to bed but he was nowhere to be found. He checked every floor in his house only to find him in the kitchen, washing dishes, dancing while his phone rang. Chanyeol didn’t bother him, just let him keep himself busy and went back upstairs, falling asleep before Baekhyun was done cleaning. 

Chanyeol was getting too curious about why Baekhyun never answered the phone. One morning, he was getting ready for work, brushing his teeth when Baekhyun’s phone started to vibrate on the bathroom counter. He stops brushing his teeth and stares at the phone. He knows he probably shouldn’t answer the other man’s phone but he really wants to know who’s on the other line. Before he can even make the decision to answer the phone the screen goes black and he finishes brushing his teeth. He’s turning out the light, taking the phone with him, and he sits on his bed waiting for it to ring again. He doesn’t know where Baekhyun is, he could be in the living room, in his office or downstairs in the kitchen. He’s pulled out of his thoughts when it rings again against his comforter, he waits five seconds before he answers it.

“Hello, Baekhyun?!?” Chanyeol holds his breath because now he knows what Baekhyun meant when he said he knows Kyungsoo’s voice anywhere. 

“We need to talk, we can’t keep running from it. Meet me at-” Chanyeol hangs up because if he knows where he wants to meet up Chanyeol would be going in place of Baekhyun. He throws Baekhyun’s phone on the other side of the bed just as the man steps into the room. Chanyeol leaves for work without another word. 

That was a week ago. It’s the twelfth and Baekhyun’s phone still rings everyday and Chanyeol is over it. He gets ready for work like any other day and once again Baekhyun is nowhere to be found. He knows he’s downstairs judging by the sound of his ringtone. He makes his way down the stairs, finding the man sitting on the bench, dressed and ready to go. 

“So Jongdae and I are going to my mom’s after work and then I’m meeting Samantha so I won’t be home until late today.” He says, putting on his shoes. Baekhyun bites his nails, leg shaking as he watches Chanyeol get ready to leave. He resists the urge to twist the rings on his finger. 

“Actually..” Chanyeol’s hand is on the door handle, ready to open the door. He turns around to face the other man who’s now standing. 

“Can I borrow your car for today?” He stuffs his hands into his pocket and Chanyeol watches the movement before he realizes what he was just asked.

“You know how to drive?” Chanyeol leans against the door, both eyebrows raised. 

“Yes, I do. My father taught me. So can I?” Chanyeol stares at him for a little longer because he’s never known Baekhyun to drive and now he suddenly wants to? That's suspicious. That’s weird. 

“I-I’m going shopping and I don’t want to board the train with Gucci and Prada bags!” He chuckles nervously. The taller man nods his head and opens the door, walking to his car. Baekhyun doesn’t know if he’s saying yes so he follows behind him, closing and locking the front door behind him, meeting him in the car. 

“I’m driving to work and then you can have it to do whatever you want.” 

“Thank you.” Baekhyun mumbles. 

The whole way to work Baekhyun fidgets and Chanyeol doesn’t say anything because he knows the man probably won’t tell him anyways. He gets to work a little late but he knows Jongdae is already inside judging from the way he can see all the lights on, even the front ones. 

They both get out and Chanyeol waits until Baekhyun makes his way over to the driver’s side. 

“Please drive slow, I trust you, I don’t trust other people.” He tells him before he gets in the car. He moves to walk away when Baekhyun grabs onto his coat, pulling him back. 

Chanyeol looks down at Baekhyun waiting for him to say something. 

“Are you okay? Are you sick?” Baekhyun shakes his head. 

“My car is still running so what is it?” 

“Can you kiss me?” Chanyeol almost laughs but he keeps it in, coughing instead. 

“You just haven’t kissed me since that night and fuck I really need you to kiss me like right now.” He mumbles out. Chanyeol laughs then, moving Baekhyun until he’s against the back door and he closes the driver’s door. He presses him up against the vehicle and Baekhyun tries to hold back a whine. 

“Baby wants a kiss?” Baekhyun nods his head more than he should and Chanyeol leans in. 

“CHANYEOL! Get your ass in here!” Jongdae yells. He looks through the window of his car to see the man standing with the door open, looking right at him. He looks back down at Baekhyun, kissing his lips quickly before he kisses his forehead. 

“Call me when you get home.” He says before walking away. Baekhyun waits ten seconds before moving to get back in the car. He shuts the door behind himself, moving the seat up because his legs are not at long as Chanyeol’s. He’s glad there’s no one parked in front of him. He beeps once and waves to the two boys still standing out in the cold. He drives off after making sure no one is coming and he makes his way on over to his house. 

  
  


“Want to tell me why I caught you making out with Baekhyun?” Jongdae questions, arms crossed as Chanyeol pushes him inside the building.

“We weren’t making out! I barely kissed him because you interrupted us.” 

Jongdae goes to respond but Chanyeol is walking away from him, heading into his office. 

“We can talk about this later but right now let’s get this work done.” Jongdae sighs and stays at his desk, goes back to emailing and filing paperwork. 

  
  
  
  


Baekhyun takes the long way to his house and he only knows there’s a long way to his house because it’s the way his father took him when he first gave him the house. He really doesn’t want to see Kyungsoo but he figures if their relationship is really over it would be best to get some closure for himself. He thinks he should’ve told the truth to Chanyeol about where he was going but the other man didn’t seem too suspicious about where he was going. 

He’s ten minutes away when he realizes he’s actually going to see Kyungsoo after almost four or five months and he slows down at the thought of seeing the man again. The rings sit heavy on his left hand and he can’t wait to take them off. He hasn’t worn them in awhile but they don’t feel unfamiliar like most jewelry would. He pulls up into his driveway to see a car that looks exactly like Chanyeol’s. He pulls up behind it, turning off the car and he sits for a moment. He realizes Chanyeol has his key and the spare key to this house so he hopes the door is unlocked. He gets out of the car, shutting and locking the door behind him. His footsteps are soft as he walks up to the car in front of him. He peeks into the driver window to see Jongin sleeping in the driver’s seat. Kyungsoo must’ve been waiting for him for a while and he giggles. He lifts his hand and bangs on the door making Jongin scream. He runs away heading towards the front door laughing loudly. The front door is unlocked and he lets himself in still laughing. 

“Did you just scare him?” Baekhyun stops laughing and shrugs his shoulders. 

“He was sleeping so soundly, it irritated me.” He replies, moving to sit at one of the stools at the kitchen island. He doesn’t take anything off because as soon as he sees an opportunity to leave, he’s taking it. 

“How’ve you been?” Kyungsoo asks as he stands across from him, arms leaning on the counter. 

“Good, I guess.” The younger man sighs and figures there’s no use for small talk so he gets right into it. 

“I met Jongin at a club in Seoul. I was very drunk and he helped get home, that was towards the end of my study abroad. He was nothing other than a friend at the time and he knew I was with you because I never stopped talking about you.” Baekhyun stares at his hands twisting the rings on his fingers. 

“When I came back to New York, we lost touch and he left my mind for a while because I was busy with you and running a company, I didn’t have to check on anyone who wasn’t right in front of me. It was a week after our fifth anniversary when I saw him again. He was in town for a conference and I bumped into him at the Starbucks down the street from my office. We got reconnected and we really were friends for a long time, I swear we were.” Baekhyun looks at him now because he just knows where this is headed, Kyungsoo is already staring at him, eyes glossy and with one blink the tears start to fall. 

“When I went to California for my first business trip, he was also there and we met up. I don’t know why he was there but it definitely wasn’t for work but I never asked about it. One night we went out with some of his friends and he didn’t want me going back home by myself so he said I could stay with him. Then we had sex that night and I left in the morning to catch a plane back to New York.” 

“You proposed to me a year later, it was our sixth anniversary, Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun says, voice quiet. 

“I know it was.” Kyungsoo wipes his tears quickly. 

“Did you have sex with him again after that?” Kyungsoo nods his head and Baekhyun exhales. 

“If you wanted to be with him you should’ve said something instead of stringing me along when you knew I was deeply in love with you. Kyungsoo, I put you through grad school and I helped you open your company. I did everything for you and you let me when you knew you didn’t want to be with me.” Baekhyun shakes his head and leans back in the chair. 

“I know and I’m sorry. I’m really really sorry, Baek.” Baekhyun scoffs and stares at the island and it’s silent for a while. Baekhyun takes the rings off his fingers and places them on the counter at the same time Kyungsoo places a piece of paper on the counter. 

“What is that?” He asks quietly. 

“A check. Basically all the money I owe you.” Baekhyun leans forward looking at the check. He looks at the signature before he looks at the amount. 

“I don’t want anything from that man.” 

“It was my idea and half of it is my money, I put it into our wedding.”

“That’s nice.” Kyungsoo sighs, taking the rings off the counter and putting them in his pocket. 

“I noticed the picture of you, Chanyeol and Jongdae is missing.” He says, nodding his head towards the living room where the picture shelf still sits. 

“Yeah, I took it when Chanyeol basically forced me to live with him.” 

“You and Chanyeol live together?” 

“No. I live with him, it's different.” 

“How so?” Baekhyun narrows his eyes at the man in front of him. 

“I’m basically pulling a you, if that makes sense.” Kyungsoo nods his head. 

“You have enough money to get your own place though?” 

“I don’t like being by myself, you know that.” Kyungsoo smiles a little and it annoys him. 

“What?” 

“Do you guys sleep together?” 

“Chanyeol doesn’t like when people invade his space, so no.” He says a little too quickly. 

“I’ve been thrown on the floor enough times to know that about my best friend, Kyungsoo.” He says before the other man can say anything else.

“Sure, sure.” 

“How did you get here?” Kyungsoo asks because he knows their house is far. 

“I drove here.” Baekhyun says, like it's the only answer to his question. 

“You know how to drive?” Kyungsoo’s eyes go wide because he’s known Baekhyun for almost a decade and he’s never seen him drive. 

“Why is this so shocking for everyone? My father is literally an FBI Agent and that never shocks anyone but me driving does?” 

“I’ve never seen you even attempt to get behind the wheel.” Kyungsoo laughs and Baekhyun tries not to cry at the sound of it. 

“Yes, I know how to drive. I just prefer public transportation.” Kyungsoo goes to say something when the front door opens and in walks Jongin. 

“I was worried someone might be dead.” 

“You would be next, if that was the case.” Baekhyun says with a smile as he watches the home-wrecker stand next to his ex. 

“Where’s Chanyeol? I thought he would be here.” 

“He’s at work, you know earning money instead of stealing people’s boyfriends.” Kyungsoo isn't supposed to laugh at that so he coughs instead.

“Maybe I should’ve stayed in the car.” He mumbles. 

“Kyungsoo, you really could’ve done better. Like I’m not even mad because it’s him. Is the bar really that low?” Jongin walks out of the kitchen, heading towards the front door, closing it behind him. 

“I don’t remember you being this mean.” Baekhyun shrugs, going back to staring at the check written out for $200,000. 

“I really am sorry about all of this Baekhyun. I never wanted us to end like this and I know you probably hate me and I would hate me too honestly. I wasted a lot of your time.” He says, finger tracing the marble patterns on the counter. 

“I don’t hate you. Could possibly still be in love with you but I don’t hate you. Definitely hated you for a week when you actually left but right now I don’t hate you.” 

“I love you too, Baekhyun. I always will.” He pushes himself off the counter and Baekhyun realizes he’s leaving. He turns around in his seat just as Kyungsoo gets to the front door. 

“Happy Birthday, Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun finally lets his tears fall. Kyungsoo walks back into the house and tries to keep it together when he hugs him. Baekhyun doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around him. 

“Thank you. See you later, Baekhyun.” 

The sob Baekhyun lets out when the front door is closed is loud and he knows the other man heard it. He thought he was fine but it still hurts like he’s waking up in bed all alone again. He sheds off everything as he makes his way to his old bedroom and throws himself onto the bed until he cries himself to sleep. 

  
  
  
  


Chanyeol catches Jongdae up on the way to his mother's apartment because he would not shut up about him kissing Baekhyun. So he told him probably more than he ever wanted to know. Jongdae doesn’t ask any questions until they’re in the elevator going up to his mom’s floor. 

“So he could be meeting up with Kyungsoo today or sometime this week?” 

“Maybe not today, when Baek says he’s going shopping he actually means it. He might even get you something nice you never know!” 

They walk down the hall stopping in front of his mother’s apartment and he lets Jongdae knock. 

“Who is it?” 

“Your second favorite son!” They hear squealing as his mom unlocks the door. 

“Jongdae, my baby! Are you feeling better? Why are you cold? Did you walk here?” She asks, dragging him inside towards the heater. Chanyeol has to push the door back open so it doesn’t close on his face. 

“Oh Chanyeol! Your father is home. He slipped on ice last week.” 

Chanyeol pauses in taking off his jacket to stare at his mother. “And when were you going to tell me? When he got better?” 

Chanyeol takes everything off and makes his way down the hall to his parents room where he finds his dad in bed, reading a book. 

“Yeol! I missed you buddy.” 

“You couldn’t pick up the phone?” He asks, sitting near his dad’s legs.

“You’re busy. I’m busy. Eh.” He shrugs and Chnayeol shakes his head. 

“Well, I brought Jongdae over. Do you need help getting up?” 

“No, I got it, just bring that hot pack over there.” He points over to the dresser and Chanyeol does as he’s told as his father gets out of bed. He walks behind his father as they exit the room, heading towards the kitchen. 

“Mom, I have a question for you.”

“Ask away, baby.” She tells him as he sits next to Jongdae at the island. 

“Why’d you give Baekhyun the meatloaf recipe?” 

“OH MY GOD! You guys are dating!” Jongdae yells and Chanyeol stares at him like he’s crazy. 

“I am not dating Baekhyun, Dae.” He says, seriously. 

“It’s sad your friend figured it out before you did, son.” He dad says, stuffing the hot pack under his shirt. 

“I’m confused.” The three of them stare at Chanyeol. 

“I gave him the recipe because who else would I give it to.” 

“Uh, me? My future spouse?” It goes quiet when he finishes his sentence and they wait for him to put two and two together. But he doesn’t.

“Hey, why’d you sleep with Baekhyun?” Jongdae randomly asks and Chanyeol kicks him in the leg. He looks at his parents who are staring back at him, waiting for him to answer the question. 

“It was his idea.” 

“And?” 

“And maybe...I kinda wanted it too.” He whispers out. 

“So....you have feelings for Baekhyun?” His dad questions. 

“That’s not what I said.” Chanyeol groans. 

“But you could like him?” His mother asks.

“What does this have to do with a meatloaf recipe?” Chanyeol doesn’t know how they got off topic.

“It has everything to do with the recipe.”

“You’re so dumb, son.” 

“You better marry Baekhyun.” 

They all say it at the same time and Chanyeol doesn’t hear anything they say. 

“Why am I being ganged up on?” He whines out. 

“Yeol, your mom gave Baekhyun the recipe because she wants the two of you together.” Jongdae has to spell it out for him because they will be here all night if he doesn't. 

“Baekhyun doesn’t like me and I don’t like him.” He crosses his arms staring at the three of them. 

“Then why’d he let you have sex with him?” His mother asks and Chanyeol actually wants to throw up. 

“Mom, please he doesn’t like me he said it himself when he came back for Christmas.” 

“Mom, where’s my Christmas present?” Jongdae asks out of nowhere. The three of them walk down the hall leaving Chanyeol with his thoughts. 

There’s no way Baekhyun is over Kyungsoo. Chanyeol is smart enough to know that much. You have sex with someone one time and suddenly you like each other. Chanyeol hasn’t even touched Baekhyun since that night for there to be any feelings. Yes, he sleeps in his bed sometimes. Yes, Baekhyun makes him breakfast once in a while. Yes, Baekhyun just sits in his office at home just because he can. Yes, he lets him invade his personal space and sometimes he doesn't throw him on the floor. He thinks back to this morning when he actually kissed Baekhyun even though it was a quick one. Sure, Chanyeol would love to kiss him again maybe even have him under him again, making him cry as he…...wow. Chanyeol shakes his head and he hears Jongdae yell out a “Thank you so much!” 

Maybe he does like Baekhyun a little more than he should. He likes the thought of sleeping next to Baekhyun and waking up next to him. Maybe it’s just infatuation from both ends. He really isn’t sure but now it’s on his mind. He wishes he never even brought up the meatloaf, it’s so stupid it’s literally just meat. Chanyeol chuckles when his phone vibrates in his pants pocket. 

“Hi, Baek!” 

“What no ‘baby’ this time?” Chanyeol chokes on air. 

“Anyways, do you need a new watch?” Chanyeol hears commotion in the background, something about colors but he doesn’t pay any attention to it.

“Uh, yeah I do actually.” He dropped his in the toilet almost four months ago and he never thought to buy another one. 

“Okay good. I’ll see you at home later.” Baekhyun hangs up before he can even respond. 

The trio makes their way back into the kitchen. 

“Guess who’s getting a new watch?! It’s me!” 

“Guess who got a karaoke machine?! It’s me!” Jongdae half shouts. 

“How are you bringing that home? We didn’t exactly drive here.” He has to remind him. 

“Where’s your car?” His parents ask at the same time. 

“Baekhyun is shopping, so he has it.” He responds easily. His parents look at each other before looking back at the other two. They all know how Chanyeol feels about his car. 

“Dae, I’ll drive you and Chanyeol home, okay?” His mother says. 

“Oh, I have another meeting so I’m not going home yet.” He tells them. “I’m meeting with Samantha close by so I can walk.” 

“Oh tell her I said hi. She was always so lovely.” His mother says, walking away to grab her coat. 

They all move towards the living room, following after her to do the same. 

“Dad, next time you walk to work please be careful, I don’t need you breaking anything.” 

“I’ll be okay, don’t worry!” He gives him a quick hug before putting his shoes and coat on. 

They make it downstairs eventually and it’s darker outside but it’s only going on five thirty. He walks the two to his moms car because he doesn’t trust other people nowadays. 

“Tell Baekhyun we’re still on for next Tuesday!” His mom yells as she shuts the door. It takes him a moment to realize what she actually says. Is this the reason why he doesn’t see her on Tuesdays anymore? He sighs and walks down the street towards the coffee shop so he can get this meeting over with. 

  
  
  
  


When Chanyeol finally does get home at eight o’clock, Baekhyun isn’t there. He grabs some snacks before heading upstairs for the rest of the night. He stops at his office to grab his iPad because he might as well do more work to get it out the way. Chanyeol walks into his room throwing everything on his bed before walking back out to go to his closet. He turns on the light just as he’s about to step on a shopping bag. There’s two of them at his feet and he starts with the smallest bag. He looks at the bag Rolex logo staring back at him. He knows Baekhyun was here earlier to drop them off. He takes the case out of the bag, opening it to see a gold face with a black band, staring back at him. It’s a Sky-Dweller and Chanyeol laughs out loud. He closes the case and puts it back in the bag. He moves to the next bag that says Prada. He pulls out a long black puffer jacket and he thinks Baekhyun is actually crazy for spending this kind of money on him. He folds the jacket back up, moving to his clothes to grab some shorts and a shirt so he can shower. He turns the light off not even looking back at the shopping bag sitting in the middle of his floor. Chanyeol takes his time in the shower, thinking about literally everything that has happened since Baekhyun had come to live with him. When he gets out of the shower and dries off, he comes to the conclusion that he does like Baekhyun but he knows the other is still in love with Kyungsoo. He gets dressed and throws himself into work not wanting to think about it any more. He does more work than he needed to, responding to emails he was saving for the next day. 

He hears the front door close when he’s watching Kingdom on netflix. He doesn’t hear the other man for a while so he figures he must be trying to find his way in the dark since it is almost midnight. He goes back to his show until he hears him walking up the stairs, he sees him walk past his room into his own, more shopping bags in his hand. He hears bags rustling before Baekhyun is walking into his room, hood over his head. Chanyeol watches as he moves from the door into his bathroom without a word. Baekhyun uses his bathroom often because his tub is bigger so he doesn’t say anything. He presses play on iPad returning to his show. 

An hour later, Chanyeol hears Baekhyun sniff one too many times and he knows he’s crying. He gets out of bed walking into the bathroom, finding Baekhyun sitting with his knees to his chest, bottle of wine in his right hand, resting on his knee. He’s sitting against the long side of the tub, facing the cabinets and mirror in the bathroom. Chanyeol sits down in front of him and leans against the tub. He notices his hair is now pink and it really does look nice on him.

“I met up with Kyungsoo today. Jongin was there too.” Baekhyun says after a while. 

“How’d that go?” 

“I told him I was still in love with him. He told me he was cheating on me for the last half of our relationship.” Chanyeol watches as he takes a long sip straight from the wine bottle. He takes the bottle from him when he’s done, setting it on the ground next to him. 

“He’s already over me and I’m stuck trying to get over him.” The tears are falling freely as he looks at Chanyeol. 

“I did everything for him and he turned around and made me the fool. It took everything in me to not murder him right there in our kitchen. Plus I would’ve had to deal with Jongin and hiding cars is not my forte. Although the house is basically nowhere near the city, I could’ve gotten away with it.” 

“Do you hear yourself or are you just talking to talk?” 

“No, I’m serious. Ask Jongin, he thought I was going to kill him at one point.” 

“I told you you’d look pretty with pink hair.” Chanyeol changes the conversation because he doesn’t want to think about the fact that he probably would bail Baekhyun out if had to. 

“Thank you, I got it done when I was finished shopping.” Chanyeol watches as he places both hands on his knees, eyes traveling to his left hand. 

“About your shopping trip, thank you for the watch and the coat. You really didn’t have to buy me anything.” He says hand moving to his as he takes the ring off his ring finger, moving it to his index finger. It’s the Cartier love ring but seeing his finger occupied does something in him and he doesn’t like it. Baekhyun doesn’t say anything about it. 

“I actually wanted to buy us matching jackets but they only had one long one left so I had to settle for the shorter jacket.” He pouts and Chanyeol laughs. 

“No matching watches?” Chanyeol jokes. 

“I like watches but not as much as you do.” Chanyeol remembers Baekhyun has been in the tub for almost two hours and he dips his hand in the water. 

“Baby, I think you should get out now.” The water is cold now and he figures the other man’s mind was elsewhere for him to notice. 

“Yeah, I’m going to shower so get out.”

“I’ve seen you naked before, you know.” Chanyeol says, unplugging the bathtub to drain the water. 

“In the dark, not under these bright ass lights.” He stands from the floor heading back into his room. He hears the shower start and a call of his name. He turns around to find only Baekhyun’s head sticking out from the shower curtain. 

“Do you mind if I like, redo the room?” 

“You mean, your room? Yeah, I don’t care. I’m not moving anytime soon.” Baekhyun disappears into the shower and Chanyeol gets ready for bed. 

  
  
  
  


They don’t see much of each other after that night. Chanyeol is looking into moving his office space after him and Samantha decided to work together. He has to manage looking for another building, hiring more people and still find time to go with Jongdae to some showings. Baekhyun spends his time, redecorating his room or in the living room watching tv. He finally manages to build his pc he had gotten for Christmas only for him to remember he didn’t even have a desk. He had ordered one because he didn’t want to go out in the snow and one store always turns into two and so on. Baekhyun doesn’t trust himself and he really doesn’t need to spend any more money than he already has. 

“Why don’t you have a tv in your room?” He asks Chanyeol, one night as he laid next to him. He was painting his room so that was the only reason why he had been in there. 

“My room is for sleeping and the occasional work session. I have a tv in the living room, I don’t need one in here.” 

“So if I put a tv in here would you be mad?” 

“What are you moving in here or something?” 

“I do get bored when I’m in here by myself.” Chanyeol sits up, turning to look at Baekhyun. 

“Don’t even let that get to your head. I just like your bed, it’s bigger and comfortable.” 

“Well thank you for almost asking before you just went and did it.” 

That’s how Chanyeol comes home to a tv in his room one day. Baekhyun in the middle of his bed, staring at the screen excitedly. The tv is mounted on the wall above the fireplace and he has to admit it does look good instead of the old painting that used to be there. 

  
  
  


Two weeks later, Baekhyun is laying in Chanyeol's bed, thinking about what he’s going to wear to his friend’s birthday party. He wants to keep it simple and warm since the snow seems like it’s not letting up anytime soon. He figures he’ll just throw on some nice pants and a sweater because he’s out of options. He doesn’t need more clothes he knows that much after he had to start using the room downstairs for more of his clothes. Baekhyun is pulled out of his thoughts when a body lands on him. He looks down in his lap to see Chanyeol laying on him and this is a first. 

“Should I call somebody?” This has never happened before and he tries not to panic.

“Shh, just enjoy it while it lasts.” He says wrapping his arms around Baekhyun laying his head on his stomach. He sees he’s still in his work clothes but doesn’t say anything because he probably doesn’t care that he’s on his bed in outside clothes. 

“Can I borrow your car?” 

“Not in this weather.” He mumbles. 

“So you’re driving me to this birthday party?” 

“Who’s birthday? It’s only February so it can’t be Jongdae.” 

“Yunho and Johnny.” Baekhyun reponds.

“Who are they and how do you know them?” 

“I slept with both of them.” He says seriously, running a hand through the man’s hair.

“Please tell me you're joking.” Chanyeol says lifting his head up to look at him.

“I am, I only slept with one of them. I know the other one from college.” 

“You’re not going to tell me who’s who? None of those names sound familiar.” 

“That’s because your only friend in college was Jongdae.” 

“I don’t trust people like that but Jongdae was my roommate and he was cool from the first day I met him.” Chanyeol sits up to unbutton his shirt, letting it fall on the floor. Taking off his socks and pants until he’s only in his underwear. He pulls the comforter back on his side getting underneath the covers. 

“Anyways, are you coming with me or not? Since you won’t let me borrow your car.” 

“Yeah sure whatever. C’mon let's take a nap, I’m fucking tired.” He responds by pulling Baekhyun closer to him. Baekhyun should really ask him if he’s okay but for once he wants Baekhyun close to him and not the other way around so he’ll take whatever he can get.

  
  


Chanyeol can tell who it is when they enter the house. It’s a nice house might he add, if he didn’t already have a house he would probably settle for this area. It’s obvious from the way when Baekhyun goes in for a hug, his hands stay on his hips when they pull back. Chanyeol has to hold in a laugh as Yunho introduces himself. Baekhyun pulls away from Johnny to stand back next to him. 

“Well, I was going to introduce you but Yunho beat me to it. Chanyeol, this is Johnny, Johnny Chanyeol.” Johnny looks like he’s the same height as him but he isn’t exactly looking him in the eye. Chanyeol waves a hand and looks around as Baekhyun continues to talk. 

“I already put your presents on the table but you’ll know which one is mine.” He tells Baekhyun he’s going to get some drinks while he catches up with his friends. He wanders off further into the house, finding the kitchen after a few turns. There’s three other people in there when he arrives and one of them looks familiar. 

“You’re Sehun, right?” said Sehun, turns around looking him up and down, trying to figure out how he knows him. 

“Jongdae’s friend, I’m assuming?” Sehun says, taking a sip of his drink.

“That would be correct!” 

“Is he still sick? Haven’t seen him in a while.” 

“Oh no, he got over that cold. He’s just busy with work.” Chanyeol should know because he’s the one assigning him the work but Sehun doesn’t need to know that. 

“When you see him again tell him I said he’s a dick for not keeping me updated.” Sehun walks off and he's left alone and confused in the kitchen, he doesn’t know when the other two left. He grabs a Sprite for himself and some alcoholic drink for Baekhyun. He seems to drink it all the time so it’s best he stays with what he knows. Chanyeol walks the same way he came, finding Baekhyun and Johnny still in the same spot but closer to the wall. He hands Baekhyun his drink as he catches the end of whatever Johnny is saying. 

“So are you coming out with us?” Ahh, he must be a part of the group of friends Baekhyun goes out with. Chanyeol sips his drink, leaning against the wall behind Baekhyun. 

“Oh, Chanyeol doesn’t do clubs.” He says, pointing his thumb at him. Johnny looks at him before looking back at Baekhyun. 

“I’m sure he’ll get home safe. You can still come out though, right?” He’s definitely the one, Chanyeol is sure of it. 

“It’s kinda far from where I live-” 

Johnny cuts him off, “You can stay the night with me, I’ll take care of you.” Chanyeol laughs quietly and walks away. 

He finds the other birthday boy and chats with him and some other people, getting to know them even though probably won’t see them ever again. Yunho asks if he’s coming out and he finds himself saying yes. 

“I’ll see you on the dance floor!” He claps his shoulder and walks away leaving him alone with three girls. He doesn’t find it awkward to be around people he doesn’t know for once. Ava is a nurse, Kim is a preschool teacher and Shay is a model. They’re laughing about how one time Kim had to remove a crayon from some kid’s nose when someone is clearing their throat. Chanyeol turns around to see Baekhyun staring at him. 

“Oh Hi, Baekhyun!” 

“Hi Chanyeol.” he says in a mocking tone looking at the three ladies behind him. 

“I’m leaving so you’re good to go.” 

“I told Yunho I was coming out, so I guess I’m leaving too.” 

“Are you ladies coming too?” He asks, trying to be polite. 

“Yeah, Chanyeol said he would give us a ride there.” 

“How sweet of him.” Baekhyun grabs his wrist, pulling him away from the group and leads him down a hallway. 

“I thought you weren’t coming?” 

Chanyeol shrugs, “Yunho said it would be fun and the girls were going so I just said yes.” 

Baekhyun goes silent and they both can hear people moving about making their way out the door. 

“Is there a problem?” Chanyeol asks. 

“Ah, there you are! C’mon Baek, we’re leaving.” Johnny says rounding the corner, moving to grab Baekhyun’s hand. 

“We’re clearly having a conversation here.” Chanyeol steps in front of Baekhyun, blocking his way. 

“I’ll find you downstairs Johnny, don’t worry.” Baekhyun replies from around the man’s shoulder.

Chanyeol sighs, turning back around when Johnny is out of sight. 

“Now, is there a problem Baekhyun?” He steps closer to him until he’s almost pressing Baekhyun back into the wall. 

“There’s no problem. Not at all.” He replies, looking Chanyeol in the eye. 

“I’ll see you there then, wouldn’t want to make Johnny angry by keeping him waiting now would we?” Chanyeol questions before walking off to meet up the ladies, standing by the door. 

Baekhyun exhales so loudly once he’s gone and he tries to control his breathing. He’s going to get so fucked up tonight. 

Ava gets the four of them a booth, somehow. Chanyeol thinks it’s because she’s pretty but he’ll never know. The club is packed and he’s honestly glad he’s not drunk, he doesn’t know how he survived these clubs when he was in college. Chanyeol sits at one end of the couch, Ava across from him while Kim and Shay sit in the middle. None of them plan on getting drunk, especially not Chanyeol, but they all drink whatever is being passed from the birthday boys table to theirs.

They’re chatting as best the can over the loud music when Fantasy by Mariah Carey comes on and Shay practically screams. Chanyeol is guessing this must be one of her favorite songs. The four of them sing along, dancing in their seats because they don’t want to get up just yet. Yunho comes to join them halfway through the song, throwing an arm around Ava practically sitting in her lap. Chanyeol goes to the bar singing along, trying to push his way through the crowd. The DJ must be going down memory lane because he’s hearing a song he hasn’t since he was little. He makes it to the bar in one piece and flags down a bartender just in time before they turn away. He orders a bottle of water and some fruity drink just because. He stands against the bar, looking out to the dance floor. He isn’t looking for anyone but his eyes find Johnny only because he felt that man staring at him. Too Close starts playing and the smile on his face says it all. Chanyeol can barely see the top of Baekhyun’s head but he knows he’s there. Chanyeol smiles back, raising his drink at him, Great Gatsby style. He gulps down his drink, taking his water bottle, card and receipt and pushes his way back to through the crowd to get back to his seat. 

  
  


“Oh My God! I thought you got lost, I was almost on my way to save you.” Kim says when he sits down. 

“Bartender just took a while with my drink.” He says plainly, leaning over to make sure she hears him. Chanyeol looks at his watch and it's almost one am aka way past his bedtime. Thankfully he isn’t tired because he still has to drive back home. The girls had already made the decision to uber home when they were on their way to the club. Chanyeol made sure to get their numbers before they left the vehicle so they could all text him whenever they did get home. 

Chanyeol watches as they start some drinking game that involves the crowd. Everyone is assigned something. Ava has anyone with hickies, Kim has the annoyingly drunk friend group and Shay has anyone who is arguing. Kim has taken more shots than anyone and Chanyeol feels bad for her because she definitely got the worst pick. Shay is right behind her and Ava got lucky because it’s hard to see with the fog and the strobe lights. Chanyeol is chanting chug at Shay when someone is sitting next to him. He turns his head to find a woman in a red dress staring at him and the whole table is silent looking at the intruder. 

“I saw you at the bar and I just wanted to say you’re really handsome.” She says into his ear. It takes everything in him to not wipe his ear in front of the girl. 

“Oh Thank-” 

“Move.” They all turn their heads to Baekhyun standing in front of their table staring at the woman sitting next to him. 

“I don’t think I will.” She loops her arm around Chanyeol and Baekhyun raises an eyebrow before laughing. 

“Uh, miss. I think you should go, he’s an angry drunk.” Chanyeol whispers, pulling his arm free. 

“Is he your boyfriend?” She whips her head around, hair lightly smacking Chanyeol in the face. 

She’s definitely got him there but Chanyeol stares at Baekhyun waiting for his answer. 

“He’s-” 

“Baekhyun, come here! I want you to meet someone.” Johnny is on him in seconds, wrapping an arm around his waist, leading him to another booth. The girl waves at Baekhyun as the two leave. 

“Well…” Ava starts, “Excuse me but this is my booth and I’m uncomfortable with you here.” Ava says politely as she stands up. Ava doesn’t hesitate to grab her hand, pulling her from up from the couch. 

“C’mon, let’s go find your friends!” The girl who’s obviously drunk goes easily and he turns back to Shay and Kim. He takes one of their shots because he needs it. 

“This is why I don’t go out.” They all say at the same time and they end up laughing, doubling over onto the table. 

Ava comes back eventually but the mood for the drinking game is ruined so they continue chatting. 

“So are you and Baekhyun dating?” Shay asks. 

Chanyeol shakes his head, “We’re both single.” 

“That would explain why Johnny is all over him.” Kim nods her head toward a booth further down from theirs. They all turn to see what she's looking at. Chanyeol twists his body around to see Baekhyun sitting in Johnny’s lap, laughing at whatever he says. Baekhyun looks at him just as he’s about to turn back around, moving Johnny’s hand further up on his thigh. Chanyeol turns around and looks back at Kim. 

“He’s been trying all night, he might finally be getting somewhere!” Chanyeol says. 

“Oh, you’re really not together?” Ava asks like she didn’t even hear him the first time. 

Chanyeol sighs, “I said we weren’t. If we were he wouldn’t even be near that man, I’ll tell you that.” 

“Besides, Baekhyun is a clingy drunk not a horny drunk. Most people know that.” He tells them matter of factly before drinking his water. 

The three of them leave to use the bathroom and Chanyeol is left alone to guard their things. He pulls his phone out to see it’s almost three. He hasn’t stayed out this long in a while and he knows he’s never doing this again. He loves to be in the comfort of his own home. If it wasn’t the weekend Chanyeol definitely would’ve said no to Baekhyun. The three return after sometime but only to tell them that they’re leaving. He’s guessing an executive decision was made in the bathroom. He gets up to walk them out and honestly he needs some fresh air. Chanyeol leads them to the front of the club and Ava holds on tight to his arm. He doesn’t know who people can party this long but looking around now he can tell it’s a bunch of younger people on the floor and the older people are in the booths. They make it outside and Chanyeol feels like he can breathe again. They stand by the lantern that’s actually lit for warmth, watching as the snow falls lightly. Kim leaves first and Chanyeol watches as she gets into her uber, reminding her to text him when he gets home. Shay leaves next and then it’s just him and Ava standing together. 

“I’m sorry for assuming you were lying about you and Baekhyun not being together.” 

Chanyeol sticks his hands in his pocket, “It’s okay, almost everyone assumes we’re dating.” 

“So why aren’t you?” She pushes. 

“It’s very complicated.” He knows she wants more information but Chanyeol isn’t one to tell other people’s business. 

“OH CHANYEOL!” He turns to find Yunho, Johnny and Baekhyun walking out of the club. The rest of the party trailing out behind them as they all head in different directions, most of them leaving in groups. Johnny is holding Baekhyun’s hand but Yunho’s voice comes again. 

“Thank you for coming out with me even though we just met! It means a lot to me.” Chanyeol thinks he may start crying. 

“No problem, man. Thanks for inviting me.” Ava’s uber arrives in that moment and she drags a drunken Yunho with her. 

Chanyeol realizes only Johnny and Baekhyun left. “Well, Happy Birthday Johnny. Baekhyun, I’ll see you later.” He turns on his heel, walking down the street walking to his car. He wishes he would’ve brought his jacket inside with him but he was already in charge of enough stuff for the night he didn’t want to add onto it. He pulls his keys out of his pocket when he hears footsteps behind. 

“You stupid fucking idiot.” Chanyeol stops right at his car and turns around. Baekhyun is walking up to him. 

“You might want to try that again.” He warns.

“You were really going to let me go home with him?” Chanyeol is confused and cold. 

“Baekhyun, we are not going to argue in the middle of the sidewalk, get in the car if you don’t want to go home with him. Don’t make a fucking scene.” 

They both stand there for a minute but Chanyeol is not dealing with whatever this is and he looks past Baekhyun to see Johnny still standing in front of the club like the dumbass he is. 

“If you’re not going to get in the car, I suggest you go back to him because he’s definitely waiting and I’m going home.” Baekhyun doesn’t hesitate to turn around and walks right back to Johnny. Chanyeol gets in his car, he doesn’t wait for it to warm up because he’s over tonight and he needs to go home. He pulls out of his parking spot, making a u-turn to get back to the side streets. The streets aren’t plowed and he definitely shouldn’t be speeding and barely stopping at stop signs but he’s angry and he doesn’t care. It takes him a few turns before he sees somewhere he actually recognizes and knows he’s close to his house. 

He parks in front of his house, turning it off, slamming the door behind him as he triple locks the doors. He unlocks his front door, throwing his shoes off into the corner where the mat is. He walks upstairs heading straight for his closet. He turns on the light and just stands in the middle of his closet and takes a deep breath. He doesn’t know what has gotten into Baekhyun but he refuses to put himself in it because it has nothing to do with him. They are both old enough to know what they want but Chanyeol is not a mind reader and he definitely isn’t making decisions for Baekhyun. He takes his clothes off, settling for shorts and an old shirt when he hears the front door close again. 

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun shouts. 

Chanyeol throws his clothes into the hamper but he must be moving too slow because by the time he moves to turn out the light Baekhyun is standing in front of him. 

“Did he come in his pants before you even got started?” 

“Fuck you, Chanyeol.” He sways just a tad but the taller man sees it. 

“Baekhyun, I’m not arguing with you.” Chanyeol turns out the light in the closet, leaving them in the dark as Chanyeol heads towards his room.

“Then you can fucking listen!” Baekhyun walks behind him, almost running into him when he turns around pushing his finger into his chest. 

“No, you listen! You need to get your shit together Baekhyun. You have your own life and I have mine. I don’t care who you hookup with. There’s no need to make me jealous if you can’t even do it properly. I know you’re going through something but taking it out on me is not the way to go. I am your friend, your  _ best friend _ , above anything and anyone else and I will not let you manipulate this situation into me being the bad guy. If you wanted to fuck Johnny, I was not stopping you. I am not a mind reader, Baekhyun. I don’t know what you want and I barely know what I want. I let you do whatever you want and I say nothing because I am your  _ best friend _ . If you have something you want to say then you can say it in the morning when you are sober but right now I am going to bed and so should you.” Chanyeol shuts his bedroom door for the first time in a long time. He throws his blankets back, getting into bed, sighing as his head hits the pillow. 

  
  
  
  


Baekhyun has been staring at the glass of water and pill sitting on the nightstand for the past thirty minutes. He woke up at around one and the only thing he did was roll over. He’s sleeping downstairs in the other bedroom because drunk Baekhyun did not want to be near Chanyeol but sober Baekhyun definitely does. He pats the bed to look for his phone, finding it under the pillow. He unlocks his phone to call the only person who he can actually talk to about this. 

“Hello?” 

“Jongdae? Can you meet me at the one coffee spot we used to go to all the time?” 

“You mean the Starbucks near that one Macy’s?” Jongdae questions.

“Yeah, that one.” he mumbles. 

“Are you and Chanyeol coming?” 

“No….just me. I kinda fucked up.” 

“I’ll meet you there in thirty.” Baekhyun doesn’t even get the chance to say anything more as he hangs up. Baekhyun sighs and wonders how he became the stupid fucking idiot out of the two of them. He looks around the room for something to wear, he can shower when he comes back. He throws on some jeans and a hoodie, grabbing his jacket before he gulps down the water. Baekhyun grabs his phone and sticks his head out the door looking both ways to make sure the coast is clear. He’s praying Chanyeol isn’t in the kitchen and is still somewhere upstairs. He quietly moves down the only flight of stairs between him and the front door. He has his shoes in his hand from last night, swapping them out for boots once he makes it to the front door. He rips it open quickly stepping outside and closes it behind him. He puts some pep in his step as he walks towards the train station just in case the man was actually in the kitchen. Baekhyun zones out his entire trip, letting his feet take him wherever, just hoping he ends up at the right Starbucks. It’s not snowing anymore but it’s still cold out. Baekhyun is so glad he bought a thick coat. He sees Jongdae inside already as he passes by the windows. He walks into the building, plopping himself down at the table across from Jongdae. 

  
  


“Alright, no time to waste, lay it on me.” Jongdae says, sliding him his drink. 

So Baekhyun tells him everything, not knowing he basically already knows it because Chanyeol had already told him. Jongdae just nods his head at everything, quietly sipping his drink. 

“So you didn’t go home with Johnny?” 

“No, he drove me home after he realized I wasn’t putting out anymore.” Jongdae hums in response. 

“Okay, so let me see if this makes sense. I’m starting from the beginning so bare with me.” He sits on the edge of his chair, arms resting on the table, finger coming out to draw it out on the table. 

“You and Chanyeol have sex. You don’t know what you want but you tell Kyungsoo you’re still in love with him and then you proceed to tell Chanyeol about this, correct?” 

Baekhyun nods his head, “You told indirectly told Chanyeol you had sex with Johnny to make him jealous and that didn’t work. You bring him to the party AND out to the club where Johnny is. You get jealous because some girl is all over him but you’re with Johnny the whole night. You’re ready to leave and you go outside and it’s just the three of you. Chanyeol says bye, leaving you with Johnny but you storm after him because he’s letting you do what you wanted to do?” 

“Okay, when you put it like that it sounds fucking stupid.” 

“I’m not saying I’m picking sides but I’m on Chanyeol’s side.” Baekhyun rolls his eyes because he saw that coming. 

“Also, you’re kind of dumb to try and make him jealous because I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen him be jealous about anything or anyone.” Jongdae adds. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Take Jongin for example, Chanyeol has never tried to outdo him in any way shape or form even though he probably could. He’s always been consistent in what he does and he sets his own pace. Why do you think he’s just now moving buildings and merging with Samantha? Jongin already merged with three other people.” He states. 

Baekhyun chokes on his drink,hand coming up to wipe his mouth. “What the fuck? When did this happen?” 

“Wow, you guys have no communication skills at all. He really meant it when he said you guys have your own lives.” 

Baekhyun’s head snaps up to look at Jongdae as he sips his drink. “How’d you know he said that? I didn’t tell you that part.” 

“Shit!” 

“You already knew all of this?!?” Baekhyun half shouts. 

“Of course I fucking did! He called me at the ass crack of dawn!” Baekhyun scoffs, crossing his arms as he leans back in his chair. 

“You know it’s okay to say you like Chanyeol.” Jongdae says after a while.

“I do not..” He trails off on what he was saying. “Holy fuck, do I like Chanyeol?”

Jongdae has a smile on his face as he watches the gears turn in Baekhyun’s head. He loves his friends but both of them are idiots especially the only sitting in front of him. 

Baekhyun thinks about how his best friend quite literally rescued him from being in the worst situation of his life. He’s made breakfast for the man multiple times, sometimes making him late because they get so into their conversation. Sometimes they just sit on the couch in the living room enjoying each other's presence. Sometimes he’ll already be in Chanyeol’s bed having a night time talk and he’ll end up falling asleep and Chanyeol never says anything. He thinks about how patient Chanyeol has been for the past few months and hasn’t said a word unless Baekhyun speaks first on the situation. Baekhyun thinks he really could’ve treated his friend better throughout this experience instead of always putting himself first. He thinks back to yesterday afternoon when the first thing Chanyeol did after coming home from work was to jump into bed with him, working clothes still on. He doesn’t think the other man has ever initiated anything like it before and now he’s ruined it. 

“I should probably go home and apologize.” He breathes out. 

“That would be the smart thing to do. You guys really need to work on your communication skills. You can’t just get by by thinking you know what the other wants. He’ll probably be in his office by the time you get back.” Jongdae responds by slurping up the rest of his drink. 

“Okay, I promise next time we meet up it will not be like this.” Baekhyun says as the both stand to leave. 

“Hopefully by then I will be dating someone because I refuse to be the third wheel!” 

  
  
  


It takes Baekhyun a short amount of time to get home and he doesn’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. His key still turns in the door so he knows Chanyeol hasn't changed the locks yet. There’s no reason to be quiet about entering the house because Chanyeol definitely knows he left the house, as he’s been gone for almost two hours. He walks up the stairs, hand gliding along the railing. He knows this conversation could go either way and he can’t get mad about it because he put himself in this situation. He reaches the third floor and hears his keyboard clicking as he types. Baekhyun stands in the doorway, watching Chanyeol work. He knows that Chanyeol knows he’s there by the sigh he lets out but he doesn’t stop working. Baekhyun walks further into his office, sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk. 

“I’m just going to rip the band-aid off and get it over with so you can just continue to type away while I apologize.” Chanyeol doesn’t look up from his screen and Baekhyun removes his jacket, placing it in his lap. 

“You’re completely right. I do need to get my shit together and I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you out of nowhere last night. If I wanted something then I should’ve gone after it. So that’s what I’m going to do.” Chanyeol looks at him for a split moment before his eyes return back to the screen but his typing stops. 

“This is probably my fourth time apologizing to you since this whole fiasco but I really am sorry and you do have every right to be mad since you’ve always been there for me. You are my best friend and I don’t want to lose you by pushing you away. I have a lot of things I want to say to you but I don’t think now is the time to say them but just know I do love you and I appreciate everything you do for me.” Baekhyun looks up from his hands only to find Chanyeol staring back at him. 

“Say it all.” 

“What?” Baekhyun rubs his palms on the inside of his jacket. 

“The things you don’t want to say. Say it.” Chanyeol turns off his computer, rounding the desk coming closer to the man in the chair. 

Baekhyun sinks deeper into the chair as Chanyeol sets both of his hands on either side of him, straddling his lap. His eyes scan Chanyeol’s face but he gives nothing away. 

“Rip the band-aid off, Baek. Go after what you want.” Baekhyun is so glad his jacket is blocking most of his lap because he really isn’t one of God’s strongest soldiers. 

Baekhyun doesn’t say anything even though he’s the one who opened his mouth first about the whole topic. If he says what he wants and it doesn’t go the way he wants it to he’s definitely leaving and he’s not coming back this time. He’s sure of that. If he does say what he needs to and he can actually tell the man in his lap that he wants to try whatever it is between them, he’s never leaving the man in his lap. He’s sure of that as well. 

“Do you know the reason why your mother gave me the recipe?” He questions, hand resting on Chanyeol’s thighs. Chanyeol tenses at the question because after having it spelled out for him he knows now. 

“We were in the kitchen at her house and she randomly gave it to me. She said something about there never being another one like me. I didn’t know what she was talking about then but after I talked with Jongdae, I think I do now. It’s a simple recipe, it really is but just one thing brings it all together. The day I came back I didn’t have the recipe then, she had dropped off a bunch of food and just told me to tell you she gave it to me. We’re pretty good at keeping secrets, me and her.”

“I like you, Chanyeol. I don’t think I’m ready for another relationship yet but I know how I feel about you. I’m not asking you to wait for me, I would never ask that of you because you never know what’s going to happen. So there is it, band-aid has been ripped.”

Chanyeol hasn’t moved an inch since Baekhyun started talking. Baekhyun hasn’t looked at him since he placed his hands on him. There’s a smile on his face when Baekhyun moves his eyes back up to his face. 

“You’re kinda cute when you're serious.” Chanyeol gets off his lap, walking back around to sit at his own desk. 

“That’s all you have to say?” Baekhyun scoffs. 

“And now you’re mad. Not cute anymore.” Baekhyun is out of chair before Chanyeol can even start his next sentence. He doesn’t get far, doesn’t even make it out of the room before Chanyeol is pushing him against the wall. 

“Stop running away from me.” 

“Let me go.” He mumbles.

“You didn’t even let me finish.” 

Baekhyun crosses his arms, head tilting back slightly on the wall. He can leave if he wants too. There’s enough space between him and the taller man and the door is right there. 

Chanyeol sighs, “I’m sorry too and I was never mad at you. Mad at the situation but not at you, I could never be mad at you. Unless you actually make me wait for you and we turn out to be those roommates that have slept together once but never again because they’re both afraid what they’re relationship could be.” 

“I like the thought of waking up next to you everyday. I love that you cook for me when I never ask you to. I love how sometimes you’re a little too loud when you’re playing games and you don’t realize it. I love that you are your own person and you will do whatever you want in that moment. You’re quite spontaneous and you love to drag me along with you. It doesn’t seem like it but I love our little trips even if it is just to the kitchen or to some new coffee shop you found out about. So yeah, I like you too Baekhyun. Probably a little more than I should but the feeling is mutual.” 

Baekhyun feels the tears in his eyes but he refuses to let them fall. He sniffs looking away from Chanyeol and punches his chest. 

“You dumbass, why didn’t you just say that first?!?” 

Chanyeol laughs as he steps closer to him. “You have a temper.” His hands come up to his face to squish his face. 

“Are we about to kiss right now?” Baekhyun asks, as he lets his face be squished. 

“No. You were literally about to walk away from me before you even heard what I had to say.” 

“Can we kiss right now?” Baekhyun ignores him and Chanyeol lets go of his face. Baekhyun already knows he’s not getting what he wants when Chanyeol takes a step back from him, moving towards the door. 

“Maybe after a few dates. I don’t put out before the fourth one, just a heads up.” Chanyeol walks out of the room. 

“I know for a fact that you do!” Baekhyun follows him as he walks out the room and up the stairs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sigh....i finished this at 7 am...my brain is tired....this took awhile bc i literally didn't know how make them argue which is kinda funny when you think about it but they're argument does lead to a confession....started out confused but we got there so thats all that matters am i right lads?
> 
> also congrats to exo for winning their awards at GDA, they will always be superior AND the standard. ugh i love them so much.
> 
> we only have one chapter left, which i'm honestly sad about but it's gonna be so good because it's literally just gonna be about them learning about each other and learning about how to be in a relationship with each other. i will probably cry but that means i'm doing something right so i'm okay with that. (also i cried writing kyungsoo leaving baekhyun bc baekhyun really deserved so much better) ((yes, i'm a crybaby, mind ur business))
> 
> omg also fun fact the houses that i used for inspo for chanyeol and baekhyun’s family both got sold! like wow these houses were not cheap and someone paid millions of dollars for each house...oh to be rich living in an expensive house. also my mom made meatloaf...it do be a good meal even though it’s literally just meat lmao
> 
> after i finish this i do not have any other chanbaek fics planned, just gonna start writing my jeongcheol fic bc I actually got a prompt!  
> anyways see ya in the next chapter & I did make a twt so i can rant about all my fics in peace and it feels good idk why i didn't do this before i started writing [@stxrburstIouis](https://twitter.com/stxrburstIouis)
> 
> Happy Birthday, Kyungsoo & Zayn! (never forget your roots!)
> 
> :D

**Author's Note:**

> hiiiiiii
> 
> this is my first exo fic and normally i wouldn't write two fics at once but this one came to me while i was falling alseep at work lmao and i just had to get it all out of the way. a lot happen in this one chapter but even MORE will happen in the next one. i actually wanted to make this a one shot but now that i'm thinking about it, it definitely deserves multiple chapters. let me know if there are any mistakes and enjoy :D


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